Pakistan Cricket Board reinstates Haris Rauf's central contract

Lahore [Pakistan], March 24 (ANI): Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf's central contract has been reinstated with immediate effect, with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi conceding that the decision to terminate it was wrong.

Naqvi blamed everything on a misunderstanding and referred to Rauf as a "star player for Pakistan".

"I received a letter from Haris Rauf who made his case very nicely. There was a misunderstanding, and an incorrect decision was taken. His contract has been restored. I was worried about him because he's injured, and there were concerns about who would facilitate his treatment. We will now have insurance cover that because he's our star player, and it's important to take care of him," Naqvi said at a press conference in Lahore as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

The PCB reversed its decision less than six weeks after Rauf's contract was revoked, after disciplinary procedures against him for refusing to participate in Pakistan's Test tour of Australia. Then-chief selector Wahab Riaz lambasted Rauf for making himself unavailable, claiming the fast bowler had harmed Pakistan cricket and broken his promise - a claim Rauf disputes. Pakistan went on to lose the series 3-0. The PCB stated that Rauf's comments and reasoning were "unsatisfactory" when his contract was terminated, although it is unclear what precipitated the change of heart.

Naqvi announced a new selection committee that would have no head, with Wahab, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, and Asad Shafiq making up a seven-person panel. The other three members of the selection committee will be the national team captain, a coach who has yet to be named, and Hassan Cheema, a data analyst who has been with the PCB since 2023.

"What's different about this committee is that there will be no chairman of the selection committee, with every member having equal power. They will make a majority decision based on debate and argument to reach satisfactory conclusions. We have looked at every single member of this committee to assess their merits and we are confident that we've made the right choices. The chairman should not have any say in the selection of players," Naqvi said.

Pakistan's as-yet fruitless search for a head coach remains the most crucial void to fill, and Naqvi stated he had no new information on the subject.

"There's no point speculating in advance about our coaching pursuits because the media can blow things out of proportion. We will make sure we get a dream team of a coaching panel, with a combination of foreign and Pakistani coaches," he added. (ANI)