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Pakistan's tearaway pacer Haris Rauf had contemplated retiring from international cricket after widespread criticism for pulling out of the Test series against Australia.
According to Geo News, Rauf was disheartened by harsh criticism from chief selector Wahab Riaz and Team Director Mohammad Hafeez for making himself unavailable for selection for the three-Test series against Pat Cummins-led side.
Rauf decided not to hang his boots after talking to his friends and focused on preparing for the T20I series against New Zealand.
Earlier, there were reports that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) may not give Rauf NOC to play for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2023-24. But Rauf was permitted to play a few matches before joining the T20I squad in New Zealand.
The report also mentioned that former director Mickey Arthur also wanted Rauf to be a part of the Australia tour. However, Rauf decided to focus on white-ball cricket as he was an inexperienced red-ball cricketer. Also, he wanted to avoid potential injuries. Interestingly, he got injured on his Test debut against England in December 2022.
The 30-year-old has had clear communication with the team management over fitness concerns. In the press conference before the Test series against Australia, Riaz said that the team management will not overexert him in the Test series.
"We spoke to Haris Rauf about this tour two days ago, and he gave his consent to playing Tests for Pakistan. However, he changed his mind last night and didn't want to be a part of this Australia Test series,” Riaz said.
“He was worried about fitness issues and workload. We gave him assurances that we will 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," he added.
Rauf is currently playing in the five-T20I series against New Zealand. He has taken five wickets in the series so far. In the Hamilton T20I, he picked up three wickets for 38 runs. However, his effort went in vain as Pakistan lost to the Kiwis by 21 runs despite Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam's half-centuries. He will be seen in action in the must-win third T20I on January 17.
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