Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga, Azhar Mahmood join Caribbean Premier League
Umar Akmal, of Barbados Tridents, will be returning home with Hafeez, and has been replaced by Mahmood, behind only Alfonso Thomas, Malinga and Dirk Nannes in the list of highest wicket takers in T20 cricket.
Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga and Azhar Mahmood have all been confirmed as replacement recruits for different teams taking part in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League, the organisers announced on Thursday (August 15). The tournament runs till August 24.
Jayawardene, tenth in the list of run-getters in Twenty20 history, will join Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in place of Davy Jacobs, the South African batsman, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with an injury to his right ankle.
"I've always enjoyed playing cricket in the Caribbean, so I am really looking forward to this short stint," said Jayawardene. "We have got a really talented young team and I hope I can help us first get into the semifinals and then go on and challenge for the title."
Malinga, widely regarded as one of the best limited-overs bowlers in the game, will replace Mohammad Hafeez at Guyana Amazon Warriors, with Hafeez, as originally planned, joining his Pakistan team-mates for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe.
"I've been following the progress of the tournament back home and I am very happy to be joining the Guyana Amazon Warriors," said Malinga in a statement.
Umar Akmal, of Barbados Tridents, will be returning home with Hafeez, and has been replaced by Mahmood, behind only Alfonso Thomas, Malinga and Dirk Nannes in the list of highest wicket takers in T20 cricket.