According to PCB Due to his prior commitments in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. Hafeez was unable to travel back to Pakistan to join the bio-secure bubble by February 3, 2021. Hence, he had to be dropped, keeping in view the COVID-19 protocols.
According to sources, Hafeez is heartbroken at the scenario and claimed that he always prioritizes playing for his country over franchise leagues.
Hafeez responded to his exclusion on Twitter with a message.
إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ ٢:١٥٣
“Indeed ALLAH is with the patient” pic.twitter.com/ff1VLMpmwv— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) January 31, 2021
There have been alternate reports regarding the whole scenario. According to a source within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Hafeez had sent an e-mail to the PCB disclosing that he will be unavailable for the T20I series between Pakistan and South Africa due to his prior commitments.
The e-mail was sent before the first T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand on December 18, 2020.