Srinagar: Pakisymtan pacer Haris Raif has explained his decision of not accepting to be part of Pakistan Test squad for Australia tour and has also denied Chief Selector Wahab Riaz’s claim.
Pakistan on Monday announced 18 member squad for Australia tour. The squad was announces by newly appointed chief selector Wahab Riaz.
The squad doesnt feature pacer Haris Rauf and Wahab addressed this omission in a press conference.
“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,” he added.
However, according to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Rauf has a different perspective on his exchange with Wahab.
Quoting a source close to the player, ESPNCricinfo reported that Rauf had never committed to participating in the Test matches in Australia in the first place. Hence, there was no question of pulling out of the tour last minute. He explained to Wahab that he hadn’t been involved in much red-ball cricket in the lead-up and expressed his desire to focus on improving his white-ball skills and overall fitness.