The semi-annual revamp of the Pakistan Cricket Board brought in old faces in new roles. Roles, undoubtedly, are new – the way they are being executed has been a trademark of Pakistan Cricket since times immemorial. In what was his first press conference as a Chief Selector, Wahab Riaz announced Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming Test tour of Australia. The former pacer, like any first-day employee, found it comforting to vent out his frustration to any ear that heard. Haris Rauf opting out of the tour seemed to be his sore spot, about which he made no bones.
Haris Rauf opting out of the Test series?
In Wahab’s own words, Rauf expressed apprehensions about his fitness and workload. In the contemporary landscape, a statement as such by a fast bowler seldom elicits astonishment. Especially when the fast bowler in question has witnessed his fellow pacers sidelined from crucial events because of the aforementioned little devils. Pakistan’s management, however, was appalled at seeing the fast bowler talk about preparing himself for the courses he is naturally built for.
“He was worried about fitness issues and workload. We gave him assurances that we would 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,” Riaz said.
It keeps on getting more strange
You read that right. It does get stranger, even by Pakistan Cricket Board’s peculiar standards. Haris Rauf has not bowled even a ball more than 13 overs with the cherry in his few years old career. He tried rolling his arm with the red ball in hand but an injury saw him getting ruled out of the England Test series last year.
There is no denying that Australian conditions drool over the bowling skillset Haris Rauf possesses but let’s be real, a guy pushing 30, who casually hits 150 kmph and has yet to play a full Test match, might not be super thrilled about long bowling sessions. That too in Australia against Australia.
The former Sports Minister, however, claimed that he presented Haris with every possible solution, even if the solution meant allowing the ‘impact player’ to bowl only 10-12 overs per business day during the series.
“We spoke to the captain and coach, and they wanted to utilize Haris Rauf as an impact player in Test cricket. We weren’t demanding more than 10-12 overs a day from him, which he has done in ODIs”.
Effects of Haris Rauf opting out? Will it hurt his place in whiteball cricket?
The former Pakistani left-armer was quick in clearing the air that this decision by Haris will not influence decisions regarding his inclusion in white-ball formats. Rumour has it that Haris Rauf’s opting out of the Test series might be a strategic move to gear up for the Big Bash League, a substantial chunk of which coincides with Pakistan’s red-ball tour.
Even if this speculation holds water, Pakistan stands to gain. With the T20 World Cup looming, it becomes paramount for teams to have their A-game in the bowling department, and Rauf could be a pivotal asset in their quest for cricketing glory.
