Haris Rauf pulls out of Australia tour at last moment

Chief Selector Wahab Riaz unveiled the 18-member Pakistan Test squad for the upcoming tour to Australia, marking his first assignment since assuming the role of the head of the national men’s selection committee last week. The highly anticipated three-match series is scheduled to take place from December 14, 2023, to January 7, 2024.

However, the squad has raised eyebrows as it does not feature the dynamic pace bowler Haris Rauf. Wahab addressed this omission in a press conference, shedding light on Rauf’s decision to withdraw from the tour due to concerns over workload management.

Wahab emphasized Rauf’s role as an impact player and expressed the need to utilize his talents in Test cricket. He stated that the management had initially reached an agreement with Rauf, expecting him to bowl 10 to 12 overs per day however Rauf didn’t agree.

“He’s an impact player and we need to utilize him in test cricket. We only demanded him to bowl 10 to 12 overs per day. Also, that he bowled recently in one day cricket. The only issue is our bowlers who can bowl 140+ are unfit right now. So, as a player you need to sacrifice and you have to look play for Pakistan instead of stepping back,” Wahab said.

Rauf last played test match for Pakistan against England in December, 2022 in England.

Pakistan squad for Australia Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi