Haris Rauf submits reply to PCB's show cause notice
Centrally contracted players should be unconditionally available for the national team
KARACHI: Fast bowler Haris Rauf has submitted his reply to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the 30-year-old received show cause notice for withdrawing from the Test series in Australia.
As per the notice, centrally contracted players should be unconditionally available for the national team but Haris Rauf had indicated unavailability for the three matches.
According to sources, Haris has cited the reason of withdrawal for not having enough red-ball practice on the back.
It must be noted that newly-appointed Chief Selector Wahab Riaz held a press conference on November 20 where he announced an 18-man squad for the Australia Test tour and also unleashed criticism towards Pakistan’s fast-bowler Haris Rauf for refusing to play the longer format.
According to The News, the 30-year-old, who just began his international career four years ago, is disturbed and upset by the unfair criticism coming from all sides.
The pacer wanted to be in the best of shape mentally, physically, and form-wise to restart playing Test cricket.
Riaz had said Haris was ready to feature in the Australia series but he changed his mind on Sunday night (November 19).
"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."
Meanwhile, Haris has received NOCs from PCB to feature in five matches of the Big Bash League (BBL) season 13. Similarly, Usama Mir (Melbourne Stars) and Zaman Khan (Sydney Thunders) have received NOCs for five and four matches, respectively.
In a bid to balance their participation and national commitments, these NOCs have been allocated within a specific timeframe. National cricketers have been cleared to participate in Australia's premier tournament between December 7 and December 28.
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