Hafeez agrees to BBL contract with Renegades

Mohammad Hafeez, the Pakistan allrounder, has agreed to a Big Bash League contract with the Melbourne Renegades. He will miss the first two games of the tournament due to international commitments with Pakistan in the UAE. This will be the first time he will play in the Australian T20 league, which begins on December 20.

"I have agreed [to] a deal with Melbourne Renegades," Hafeez told ESPNcricinfo. "Playing in Australia is always a tremendous experience and the opportunity will allow me to play around the best players. Since the 2015 World Cup will be in Australia, my stint will help me acquire ample acquaintance of Australian conditions."

Hafeez is currently Pakistan's leading run scorer in T20Is with 1093 runs, and has led the Pakistan T20 squad since June 2012 to 12 victories out of 18 matches. He last toured Australia in 2005, and had a poor run averaging just 12.50 in six ODIs. He most recently featured for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League.

Hafeez was recently dropped from the Test squad for the South Africa series in the UAE, and is likely to miss out on the Tests against Sri Lanka in December. Hafeez is currently training ahead of his departure to the UAE for the limited-overs leg of the South Africa tour, which begins on October 30.