MELBOURNE: Former Test paceman Mitchell Johnson, who was set to make debut for the Karachi Kings in the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL), has been ruled out of the tournament because of personal reasons.
Johnson took to his Twitter account and confirmed that he is making himself available for the upcoming PSL.
“Yes, I am making myself unavailable this PSL18 for personal reasons and also for me to schedule myself the way I feel works best for me this year for 20/20 tournaments. These are the only reasons for me not playing. I wish KK the best for the season,” he tweeted.
The 36-year-old had a successful Big Bash League (BBL) last time and he continued to display impressive performance this season as well for Perth Scorchers, finishing as the joint second-highest wicket-taker for the team by picking up seven wickets in the tournament so far at an economy rate of 5.67.
Johnson's absence might come as a major blow to Karachi Kings’ bowling attack, which could also miss the services of Pakistan's Usman Khan, who was sidelined for six months due to back injury, ESPNcricinfo reported.
The third edition of the PSL is set to begin on February 22. All matches will be played at four venues – Dubai, Sharjah, Lahore, and Karachi.
Karachi Kings will begin their campaign against Quetta Gladiators on February 23 in Dubai.
The Karachi Kings’ squad is as follows:
Shahid Afridi, Usman Khan, Usama Mir, Khurram Manzoor, Ravi Bopara, Imad Wasim (capt), Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Colin Ingram, Luke Wright, David Wiese, Tabish Khan, Mohammad Irfan Jnr., Hasan Mohsin.