Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez diagnosed with dengue

Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez has been diagnosed with dengue after he was ruled out of the first leg of the ongoing National T20 Cup. The veteran was set to play for the Central Punjab team, led by Babar Azam, but has now become uncertain for the entire tournament. Hafeez missed the first half of the league after, reportedly, suffering from food poisoning in Rawalpindi.

Thereafter, he went back to Lahore after which he was tested positive for dengue. The 40-year-old’s platelet count has also dropped to a significant extent. His team, Central Punjab are currently placed second in the points table after victories over Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Babar’s men started the tournament with a 36-run loss to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but have made a comeback.

Mohammad Hafeez last played in the CPL

The second leg of the National T20 Cup is scheduled to get underway on October 6, and Hafeez’s participation in the games depends on his recovery from dengue, Express News reported on Tuesday, September 28. Hafeez last played cricket in the West Indies earlier this month when he represented the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the 2021 edition of the Caribbean Premier League.

In the CPL, Hafeez scored 179 runs at an average of 29.83 with a top score of 70 against eventual champions St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at the Warner Park. The Sargodha-born also picked up five wickets, including a three-wicket haul against the Trinbago Knight Riders.

Hafeez is also a part of the Pakistan squad for the T20 World Cup to start on October 17 in the United Arab Emirates. The veteran was set to play in the ODIs and T20Is against New Zealand, but the series had to be abandoned after the Black Caps showed concerns over security controls.

The cancellation of the series means that the National T20 Cup is the only tournament where Hafeez can prepare himself for the T20 World Cup. Hafeez has been a key member of the Men in Green even into his 40s.

In 218 ODIs and 113 T20Is, he has notched 6614 and 2429 runs respectively with 11 tons and 52 half-centuries. He also has 199 wickets in the limited-overs format for Pakistan.