Refusal to play series against Australia may be expensive for Haris Rauf

Fast bowler Haris Rauf, who has refused to accompany the team on the Australia tour, could be in trouble, with risks of being demoted to the central contract category as well as missing out on a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the Big Bash League.

Officials in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are reportedly upset with Haris Rauf’s behavior and disappointed with Lahore Qalandars coach Aqib Javed’s defense of Haris, Geo has reported.

PCB is yet to issue NOCs to Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan and Usama Mir for the Australian Big Bash, scheduled to start a few days later on December 7. According to Geo sources, PCB officials have said that no decision has been taken yet about NOC for the three players, and that the matter is under consideration.

Haris Rauf was unavailable for the Test series against Australia with workload and fitness issues. Haris Rauf and Usama Mir are under contract with Melbourne Stars and Zaman Khan is under contract with Sydney Thunders. Haris wants to focus on limited-overs cricket only, so the Category B Central contract given to him needs to be reviewed, under which he is paid more than Rs 40 lacs per month, plus additional match fee, bonus, ICC revenue and a share from PCB.