Haris Rauf's Test Snub: Wahab Riaz Sheds Light on Pacer's Decision

Pakistan's newly appointed chief selector Wahab Riaz has revealed why Haris Rauf was not named in the squad for the Test series against Australia. He said the fast bowler pulled out of the series at the last minute because he was worried about his workload. Pakistan has announced a strong 18-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against Australia. The series will begin on December 14th in Perth and conclude on January 7th. Shaan Masood will lead the team and this will be his first assignment as a team leader.

Saim Ayub and Khurram Shahzad have got the first call up while the rest of the names are pretty much the same. But one thing that caught the attention of many was the absence of Haris Rauf from the team. The fast bowler has been the backbone of the team and his pace would have been handy on the Australian wickets.

Haris Rauf's absence from the team raised many eyebrows. But the reason behind his non-appearance is now known. The pacer has made himself unavailable for the series considering his workload and fitness.

Wahab Riaz spoke about Haris Rauf's absence and said he was ready to play in Australia but on the eve of the team announcement, he made himself unavailable. While he admitted that management had assured him that they would manage his workload, Pacer disagreed. Speaking about it, he explained:

“We spoke to Haris Rauf about this tour 2 days ago and he agreed to play Tests for Pakistan. However, he changed his mind last night and did not want to be a part of this Test series in Australia. He was worried about fitness issues and workload.

“We assured him that we would facilitate him and accept any possible failure. Our physio said he has no injury concerns. He is tired, but we could have managed him well. However, he pulled out and is unavailable for this tour. I think this can hurt Pakistan cricket."

Pakistan squad and schedule for Test series against Australia
Here is the Pakistan 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, Saeed Shakeel, Sarfraz Ahmed

Here is the schedule for the Test series against Australia:

1st Test - Australia vs Pakistan - December 14-18: Perth Stadium
Second Test - Australia vs Pakistan - December 26-30: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
3rd Test - Australia vs Pakistan - January 3-7: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)