Lahore, 20 November 2023: Chairperson of the national men’s selection committee Wahab Riaz held a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium on Monday to announce the 18-member Pakistan squad for the three-match Test series against Australia from 14 December 2023 to 7 January 2024.
Wahab Riaz: “The upcoming tour of Australia is a very important one. We have selected the team to the best of our capabilities, factoring in our available resources. We have picked them on their past performances and we have prioritised players who have shown preference towards playing for Pakistan foremost. Our current and future plans reflect as such.”
“Haris Rauf was initially picked for the tour but he refused to partake in the upcoming tour, citing workload concerns. Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain and Ihsanullah are currently recovering from injuries and were not available for selection.”
Q: Could you comment on how you expected to use Haris Rauf in the series and does his refusal to play Test impact his selection in white-ball as well?
WR: “We had planned to utilise Haris Rauf as an impact bowler in our Test plans, after discussions with the captain and team director. We needed him to bowl 10-15 overs, which he has bowled in ODIs too. We had involved all relevant stakeholders in our discussions and it was made clear that there would not be any added threat of injury if he bowls as per our plans. However, Haris was concerned about his workload and opted to back out of the series.
“I have a good relationship with all of these guys since I have shared dressing room with them. But for centrally contracted players, it is important for us to realise that performances for Pakistan need to be prioritised. I am picking the team on the requirements rather than any external factors.”
Q: Please share your plans for players who have done well in domestic but missed out a call-up this time.
WR: Sahibzada Farhan was the leading run-scorer but our top-order is set currently. So he is in our radar only if the need arises. Similarly, with Mohammad Huraira, we will add him if there is space in the middle-order. Haseebullah has been in our radar too and we have our eyes on him but currently, both Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed have done well so we will be continuing with them. We will, of course, tap into the domestic resources whenever the need arises.
Q: Why have Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Qadir been called for the camp ahead of the tour when they are not part of the squad?
WR: “The four spinners we have called in the camp are because we want to work on them and they are assets for Pakistan cricket. We will need them in the future as well and it is our duty as an organisation to work on them.
“We want to increase our pool of players available in each format. We had not prepared backups which became glaringly obvious in the World Cup but going forward, we want to implement a rotation policy as well across formats. We want to give players as much game time and preparation as we can so we can maximise our available resources at any given time. We are eying the T20 World Cup next year and we do not want to depend on just two or three players in the tournament.”
Q: Please comment on Saim Ayub, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza and Hasan Ali’s selections.
WR: “I congratulate both Saim Ayub and Khurram Shahzad on their maiden call-ups. We want to give due respect to red-ball performers in domestic cricket. Khurram has done really well and improved in the past three years. He ended the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as the highest wicket-taker. Saim Ayub is an impact player. I feel that the tour will really help his game by providing him the relevant exposure and hopefully when he gets to play, he will deliver as he has in the past. Mir Hamza is a very good left-arm bowler who does well with the new ball. We needed someone who could cover for Shaheen Shah Afridi, because he plays a lot of cricket as well and we wanted to cover all our bases.
“Hasan Ali is an experienced bowler and we need a character of his like to stay with the team because it is otherwise an inexperienced side. He has performed well in county too so I am sure he will do justice to his selection. Mohammad Abbas is a good bowler and has done well in county cricket but we have kept in mind Australian conditions. There is more bounce and reverse there and hence, Hasan would do better there.
“I believe that if you are in a position of power, you need to communicate with each and every player and be transparent about future plans – even if they are not in the plans. This is why I have been clear about Haris Rauf too. I wanted to explain that he was in our plans but it was his own choice to not be a part of the upcoming tour to Australia. That clarity has to be given to every player and that is one of my priorities.”
Q: Since this is the first team selected since Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy, who has been responsible for assembling it?
WR: “The team has been assembled after a consensus between myself, the captain and team director. We own it, as it was the best possible squad considering our available resources. We were facing challenges like injuries, especially with Naseem Shah still recovering. Babar Azam has stepped down from captaincy on his own accord, I do not know what the discussion between Babar and the Chairman was and I cannot comment on it. Shan Masood has captained Yorkshire previously and we have put our trust in him. He is going to remain the captain in the near future. We will not be removing anyone based on one series.”
