Haris Rauf refuses to play Australia Tests
Pacer has fitness concerns, according to Chief Selector Wahab Riaz
Pakistan Chief Selector Wahab Riaz on Monday revealed that pacer Haris Rauf won’t be available for the upcoming Test series against Australia.
While speaking during a press conference in Lahore, Riaz said that Rauf was ready to feature in the Australia series but he changed his mind last night.
"We spoke to Haris Rauf about this tour two days ago, and he gave his consent to playing Tests for Pakistan. However, he changed his mind last night and didn't want to be a part of this Australia Test series,” Riaz said.
“He was worried about fitness issues and workload. We gave him assurances that we will facilitate him and accept any potential failures. Our physio said he has no injury concerns. He is fatigued, but we could have managed him well. However, he pulled out and is unavailable for this tour. I think this could hurt Pakistan cricket.
"We spoke to the captain and coach, and they wanted to utilise Haris Rauf as an impact player in Test cricket. We weren't demanding more than 10-12 overs a day from him, which he has done in ODIs. Our frontline Test bowling options who bowl 140+ and can create an impact are unfit, all three of them. As a player, I think you need to sacrifice in such a situation and look to play for Pakistan rather than moving back."
Rauf has only played a solitary Test match for Pakistan over the course of his career after making his debut against England last year in Rawalpindi.
Earlier, Riaz announced Pakistan's squad for the tour of Australia next month.
Shan Masood will lead Pakistan team during the series, which will begin with the first Test in Perth from December 14.
Pakistan squad
Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Nauman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed
“The squad has been assembled keeping in mind the challenging Australian conditions. We have kept the pitches in mind and added more pace bowling resources to the team to ensure that the management can be flexible with the team combinations in all three Test matches," Riaz said.
“Saim Ayub has been added to the squad after the extraordinary domestic season he has had this year. He has impressed with the bat during the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and Pakistan Cup, pushing the case for his selection. His inclusion will strengthen our solid batting line-up.
“Pakistan has started off the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 really well, after their success in Sri Lanka earlier this year. We hope that the team can carry this momentum ahead in Australia as well. We have tried to ensure that the team has all relevant resources to find success in Australia.”
The squad will assemble in Rawalpindi on November 22 for a training camp ahead of the tour. The camp will run till November 28 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
The team will fly out on November 30 from Lahore.
Some additional players have also been invited to feature in the training camp. The players called for the camp are Arshad Iqbal, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usama Mir and Usman Qadir.
Schedule of Pakistan’s Test tour of Australia
First Test: December 14-18, Perth Stadium
Second Test: December 26-30, MCG
Third Test: January 3-7, SCG
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