Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf garnered a lot of criticism after he opted out of the Australia Test series, and even contemplated retirement soon after, as per a media report. According to a Pakistani media outlet, Rauf was demoralised by all the talks surrounding him, but eventually decided against it, after being advised by family and friends.
When the announcement was made, that Rauf won’t be available for the Test series, chief selector Wahab Riaz claimed Rauf had agreed to be available for the Tests. Another report suggested that the latter had made no such commitment.
Rauf had told then chief coach Mickey Arthur, during the World Cup 2023, that his body won’t be able to take the strain. In fact, Arthur had also wanted Rauf to play in Tests, but that didn’t happen.
Rauf rejected the suggestion, citing lack of first-class cricket experience as the reason. Interestingly, he had suffered an injury in his only Test, after bowling just 13 overs, in December 2022 against England.
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