PCB canceled Haris Rauf contract after he refused to join Pakistan

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) canceled the central contract of fast bowler Haris Rauf after he refused to join the Pakistan squad for the Australia tournament. This decision came in response to an investigation regarding the refusal of Haris to join Pakistan’s Test squad for the trip to Australia in 2023-24.

PCB canceled the central contract of Haris Rauf on Dec 1, 2023, and will continue until June 30, 2024. Hence, Haris cannot obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in any foreign competition.

PCB terminates Haris Rauf's central contract

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— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) February 15, 2024

According to a press release from PCB, the cricket board allowed a personal hearing following natural justice principles on Jan 30, 2024. However, the board found his response quite unsatisfactory.

Furthermore, PCB mentioned playing for Pakistan is the utmost honor and privilege for any sportsperson. Refusing to join the Pakistan Test squad without a medical report or justified explanation is a considerable violation of the central contract.

Click here to read the updates on Chief Selector Wahab Riaz announcing the Pakistan squad

It is significant to note that Haris Rauf refused to play Australia Tests due to injury concerns and workload management. He has only played one Test match for Pakistan in his career. He played this Test match while playing against England at Rawalpindi in 2022.

However, chief selector Wahab Riaz reported in Nov 2023 that Haris refused to participate in the Test tour of Australia. Haris told Wahab that he wanted to focus on white ball cricket and control his workload. White ball cricket is a type of cricket that is part of limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket.

Haris Rauf has taken 69 wickets in 37 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 90 wickets in 66 Twenty Internationals (T-20s). He is presently a member of the Lahore Qalandars squad. So, he is preparing for the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League. It will begin on Feb 17, 2024.