Pakistan batsman Mohammad Haris: “Even I don’t know when and where I performed badly [in T20Is]. There are ups and downs. Sometimes, players in the back-up [roles] perform better than you, so they deserve a chance”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Attacking Pakistan batsman Mohammad Haris admitted he has no clue why he was dropped from the T20I team for the recent five-match series against New Zealand.
When the squad was announced, chief selector Wahab Riaz said Haris had been rested in order to give other players a chance to show what they can do.
However, Wahab had stressed that the 22-year-old “is part of our plans going forward.”
Regardless of this, Haris reiterated that he was shocked by his omission for the New Zealand series, which Pakistan lost 4-1.
“Even I don’t know when and where I performed badly [in T20Is]. There are ups and downs. Sometimes, players in the back-up [roles] perform better than you, so they deserve a chance,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“It is healthy competition and I hope to perform well in PSL and grab the opportunity.”
Haris will now play for the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), which starts on February 17.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad (partially available), Arshad Iqbal, Haseebullah, Gus Atkinson (partially available), Asif Ali, Naveen-ul-Haq (reserved), Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Mohammad Zeeshan, Waqar Salamkheil, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufyan Muqeem, Shamar Joseph