Harris likely to miss West Indies tour

Australia fast bowler Ryan Harris is likely to miss the tour of the West Indies in June this year, as it will coincide with the birth of his first child. Harris said during a radio interview on Monday that coach Darren Lehmann had urged him to stay home with his family.

"I spoke to Darren about it. Before I did he spoke to me and told me I would stay at home," Harris told SEN Radio. "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.''

Harris' likely absence means that he will not play for Australia until the side travels to England to defend the Ashes in July. Harris missed out on a spot in Australia's World Cup squad as the selectors chose to focus on keeping him fit for the series in England, where Harris had finished as Australia's Player of the Series during the 2013 tour.

Harris, who played the last of his 21 ODIs in February 2012, said he was disappointed with the omission but admitted it would have been challenging for him to stay fit over the duration of the tournament. The bowler has struggled with a chronic knee problem in his career and underwent surgery last year, months after bowling through pain to steer Australia to a last-gasp win over South Africa in Cape Town. He played three Tests against India recently, missing out on the game in Brisbane due to a quadriceps strain.

"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," he said. "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."

Harris will return to the Sheffield Shield where he will play a few matches for Queensland before beginning training for the Ashes.

"Basically, my programme when we get through these Shield games, we will work back from the first tour game over in England and then work back to where I am and where I need to start and where I need to be at certain times and how many balls I've bowled," he said. "The big thing for me will be my strength. My right knee is not great so I have to get a lot of strength in my right leg and both my legs.

"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."

The allrounder Shane Watson and his wife Lee are also expecting their second child in June, although there is no news on his availability for the tour yet. Watson left the 2013 tour of India to be home in Sydney for the birth of his son, Will.