“Darren wants to make sure I am here and spending time with my wife”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Australia pace bowler Ryan Harris is set to miss the national team’s tour of the Caribbean in June since it will coincide with the birth of his first child.
Harris revealed that head coach Darren Lehmann told him to spend time with his family and not worry about the tour.
“I spoke to Darren about it. Before I did he spoke to me and told me I would stay at home,” Harris told SEN Radio. “The West Indies is the furthest place to get home from. Darren wants to make sure I am here and spending time with my wife.”
Harris also noted that he was gutted to be left out of Australia’s World Cup squad. However, at the same time, he is also a bit relieved since his knee is feeling “really sore” after playing three out of the four Tests against India. During that series, Harris took 10 wickets at an average of 33.40.
“I want to say it would’ve been able to, but I have just come out of a Test series and could only manage three Tests because I had a bit of a niggle,” he said. “My knee’s really sore and it’s pulled up quite sore after each game.
“I would have tried but when you’re in a World Cup and you have a small squad of 15 guys you can’t rely on 14 of them and see how I am feeling after every game, when every game is a big game. You pick 15 for a reason they have to be up and going every game.
“Darren and the selectors, and hopefully Michael (Clarke), can’t be relying on asking ‘how are you going this game and how you going that game’. It’s too much stress to worry about on one player and you shouldn’t have to worry about that in the World Cup.”
Since he will not play for Australia until the Ashes in July, Harris will continue to represent Queensland in the Sheffield Shield season before starting a training programme to ensure he is in prime form when the national team travel to England.
“Basically, my programme when we get through these Shield games, we will work back from the first tour game over in England and then work back to where I am and where I need to start and where I need to be at certain times and how many balls I’ve bowled,” he said. “The big thing for me will be my strength. My right knee is not great so I have to get a lot of strength in my right leg and both my legs.
“I didn’t have a great build up going into this Test series and I felt that at times in third and fourth spells but If I have the build-up before I had going into the England (series) over in England I’ll be fit and strong.”