Last Update on: November 20th, 2023 at 08:38 pm
Pakistan’s newly appointed chief selector Wahab Riaz revealed why Haris Rauf wasn’t named in the squad for the Test series against Australia. He said that the fast bowler pulled out from the series at the last minute as he was worried about his workload.
Pakistan announced a strong 18-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against Australia. The series will begin on 14th December in Perth and will conclude on 7th January. Shan Masood will captain the team and it’ll be his first assignment as a leader of the team.
Saim Ayub and Khurram Shahzad have received the maiden call-up whereas the rest of the names are pretty similar. But one thing that caught the attention of many was the absence of Haris Rauf from the team. The pacer has been the backbone of the team and his pace on Australian wickets would’ve been handy.
Haris Rauf’s absence from the squad raised quite a few eyebrows. But the reason behind him not being there has been known now. The pacer has himself made unavailable for the series, keeping in mind his workload and fitness.
Wahab Riaz talked about Haris Rauf’s absence and said that he was ready to play in Australia but on the eve of the squad announcement, he made himself unavailable. He admitted that despite the management assuring him that they would manage his workload, the pacer didn’t agree. Speaking about the same, he explained:
“We spoke to Haris Rauf about this tour 2 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. 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.”.
Pakistan squad and schedule for the Test series against Australia
Here’s Pakistan’s squad for the Test series against Australia:
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
Here’s the schedule for the Test series against Australia:
1st Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 14-18: Perth Stadium
2nd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 26-30: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
3rd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – January 3-7: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)
