Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez opt out of the T20 series against West Indies due to personal reasons

Pakistan all-rounders Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik won’t be part of the upcoming home T20I series against the West Indies. The veteran players have informed skipper Babar Azam and interim head coach Saqlain Mushtaq about the same. Malik and Hafeez were last seen in the recently concluded 20-20 World Cup.

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Malik has also conveyed to Pakistan management that he should be considered for selection only for important series. The 39-year-old has also said he wants to focus on playing various T20 leagues around the world. Ever since quitting Test and ODI cricket, Malik has shifted his focus to franchise cricket around the globe.

"Malik has said that he wants to focus on playing in T20 leagues and the Pakistani selectors should only consider him for selection for select and important series," a reliable PCB source said.

Meanwhile, Hafeez has stated that he will be unavailable for the West Indies series due to his Lankan Premier League commitments. He has also said that a few young players should be given a chance and groomed for the future.

"Basically it has been decided to now start giving more exposure to players like Haider Ali, Sohaib Maqsood, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Danish Aziz, Azam khan to prepare them for the future instead of waiting around for Hafeez and Malik," the source added.

Pakistan have carried the 20-20 World Cup from into the Bangladesh series. They beat the Tigers, who are formidable team at home, by a 3-0 margin. Even with Azam and Mohammad Rizwan not firing, Pakistan comprehensively defeated the hosts. On the other hand, West Indies will look to bounce back after a dismal show in the 20-20 World Cup.