Ryan Harris will miss Australia's West Indies Tour

Ryan Harris

Ryan Harris will, likely, give Australia’s tour of the West Indies a miss as the birth of his child is to coincide with the series. As the Caribbean is the furthest place from Australia, coach Darren Lehmann has advised Harris to skip the tour and be with his family.

Harris said, “I spoke to Darren about it. Before I did he spoke to me and told me I would stay at home.

“The West Indies is the furthest place to get home from. Darren wants to make sure I am here and spending time with my wife.”

The pacer's absence from the World Cup and the West Indies tour means the earliest he will represent Australia will be away in England in the Ashes. Harris had finished as Australia’s Player of the Series during the 2013 Tour of England.

“I’ll be fit and strong for the series in England”

Harris, who was left out of Australia’s World Cup squad after struggling with injury, accepted that it would have been tough for the whole team had he been selected for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February and March.

He said, “I want to say it would've been able to, but I have just come out of a Test series and could only manage three Tests because I had a bit of a niggle. My knee's really sore and it's pulled up quite sore after each game.

“I would have tried but when you're in a World Cup and you have a small squad of 15 guys you can't rely on 14 of them and see how I am feeling after every game, when every game is a big game. You pick 15 for a reason they have to be up and going every game.

“Darren and the selectors, and hopefully Michael (Clarke), can't be relying on asking 'how are you going this game and how you going that game'. It's too much stress to worry about on one player and you shouldn't have to worry about that in the World Cup.”

“I didn't have a great build up going into this Test series and I felt that at times in third and fourth spells but If I have the build-up before I had going into the England (series) over in England I'll be fit and strong.”