Veteran Australian batsman Brad Hodge has been drafted in to the Pakistan Super League as a replacement for England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who has withdrawn to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca with his family.
A devout Muslim, Ali was picked up by Quetta Gladiators in the PSL supplementary draft on Monday, as a replacement for West Indian Carlos Brathwaite.
But just a day later the Gladiators announced on their official Twitter account that Moeen had opted out of playing in the tournament for family reasons.
The Gladiators tweeted: "@MoeenAli is a top player and a great person. We respect his decision to honour his family commitment first. Good Luck Moeen."
Moeen, currently touring India with England, replied: "Thanks guys. Inshallah (if Allah wills) in the future sometime. Would have loved to have taken part. All the best in the competition."
The 42-year-old Hodge scored 286 runs at an average of 40.86 in this summer's Big Bash, playing as captain of the Adelaide Strikers.
