Mohammad Hafeez: “In the Haris Rauf case, he has shown unavailability for red-ball cricket, so with central contracts any decision will be taken keeping Pakistan’s FTP commitments in mind”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez said it remains to be seen if fast bowler Haris Rauf’s central contract will be affected by his decision to withdraw from the ongoing three-match Test series against Australia.
Rauf was set to be part of Pakistan’s team for the tour, but he pulled out at the last moment since he had workload concerns.
The 30-year-old currently has a Category B contract, but Hafeez noted that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) could take action due to his behaviour.
“If an individual thinks he doesn’t want to play red-ball cricket, that is an individual act. The central contract was given on the basis that all players will be available for all formats if we need them,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“In the Haris Rauf case, he has shown unavailability for red-ball cricket, so with central contracts any decision will be taken keeping Pakistan’s FTP commitments in mind and that is how it will be decided who we give what contracts to in what category.”
Pakistan lost the first Test against Australia in Perth by 360 runs and will look to bounce back in the second Test, which begins on December 26 in Melbourne.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer 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
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