Pakistan batter Mohammad Haris opened up on his non-selection in the team for the upcoming five-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series against hosts New Zealand.
The bilateral series begins on Jan. 12 in Auckland. The second and third fixtures will be contested on Jan. 14 and 17 in Hamilton and Dunedin.
Christchurch will host the fourth and fifth T20I on Jan. 19 and 21 respectively.
Mohammad Haris was not picked in the squad for the all-important series against New Zealand. The batter, in an interview, said he is not upset on being left out as exclusions are part of the game.
“I am not sad about being dropped as this is part of the game,” he said as quoted by a cricket website. “These things make you stronger. I have gotten time to analyse my mistakes and improve my skillset.”
Mohammad Haris added that he was unaware of what led to him not being picked in the team. He added that backup players perform better and deserve a chance to showcase their talent on a big stage.
He hoped to excel in the upcoming Pakistan Super League and grab the opportunity for a comeback in the team.
It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Selector Wahab Riaz said Mohammad Haris was rested for New Zealand. He added that he was in their future plans because of his match-winning capabilities.
“We have rested Mohammad Haris for this series. We know his capability and he is part of our plans going forward. There were some domestic performers in First Class cricket who we wanted to give a chance and increase our pool of players, so we rested Haris from this tour,” he said.