Former Australian cricketer termed the omissions ‘bizarre’
13 May, 2020
PHOTO: PSL
Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones was left surprised after Pakistan pacers Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz missed out on Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s central contracts for the next 12-month period.
Jones, while reacting to the aforementioned news on Twitter, termed the omissions ‘bizarre’.
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"With 2 x T20 World Cups in a short time? Bizarre," Jones tweeted.
With 2 x T20 World Cups in a short time? Bizarre! https://t.co/8IptlNp9k3
— Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) May 13, 2020
However, Pakistan’s head coach-cum-chief selector Misbahul Haq clarified that the pacers are still in the national team’s plan.
“The selectors have made the tough decisions to leave out Amir, Hasan and Wahab but considering Hasan missed most of the season due to an injury and Amir and Wahab decided to focus on white-ball cricket, this was the right move," said Misbah in a press release issued by the PCB.
“However, Amir and Wahab are senior and experienced bowlers and they remain in contention as we believe they can still contribute to the Pakistan men’s cricket team and also mentor our young battery of fast bowlers," he added.
Hasan was ruled out of home Tests against Sri Lanka last year after CT scans revealed cortical rib fractures, involving ninth rib on the right side and eighth and ninth ribs on the left side.
Amir retired from Tests last year, in order to manage his workload and extend his white-ball career. Wahab followed suit in September, taking an "indefinite break" from red-ball cricket.
