Tag: Haris Rauf

Former captain Shahid Afridi has opened up about Lahore Qalandar’s pace bowler Haris Rauf, who is struggling with his bowling form during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9.

Lahore Qalandars lost both of their matches in the PSL 9 and Rauf has given dismal performances in both games.

The express bowler conceded 38 runs without a wicket in three overs in the opening match against Islamabad United.

In the next match, he picked one wicket and gave away 47 runs in his four overs against Quetta Gladiators.

However, Shahid Afridi, believes that Rauf needs the right mentorship at the moment to regain his lost form.

“Right now, Haris Rauf seems to be struggling with his bowling, and I’m not quite understanding it,” said Afridi while talking to a local news channel.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“He needs honest help at this moment, the guidance of seniors is necessary because we shouldn’t sideline him completely,” he further added.

The former all-rounder also acknowledged Rauf’s potential and suggested that the pace bowler should play four-day cricket to improve as a bowler.

“He has given some fantastic performances for Pakistan. That boy will improve even more when he plays longer-format cricket,” said the former captain.

“When he plays four-day cricket, his bowling will automatically improve, but right now, he needs our support,” Shahid Afridi concluded.

Lahore Qalandars will next face Multan Sultans at Multan Cricket Stadium tomorrow.

READ: Multan Sultans’ combined bowling effort books Islamabad United on 144

LAHORE: Fast bowler Haris Rauf has been penalised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), following a probe into his refusal to join Pakistan’s Test squad for the tour of Australia 2023-24.

The decision came after the PCB committee conducted a hearing and allowed Haris Rauf to explain his stance, however, his response failed to satisfy the committee.

“After a thorough hearing process conducted by a PCB committee and taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders involved in the matter, Haris’ central contract has been terminated from December 1, 2023, and no NOC (No objection certificate) to play any foreign league will be granted up to June 30, 2024,” the statement of PCB said.

“The PCB management provided a chance for a personal hearing to Haris in compliance with the principles of natural justice on 30 January 2024 and his response was found unsatisfactory.

“The PCB states that playing for Pakistan is the ultimate honour and privilege for any sportsperson.

“Refusal to be part of Pakistan’s Test squad in the absence of any medical report or justifiable reason is a material violation of the central contract.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

It is worth mentioning that the issue arose ahead of the Australian tour last year when Haris Rauf pulled out of the Test series at the last minute citing fitness concerns.

Wahab Riaz, while announcing the squad, told during the press conference that Haris Rauf was in the plans for the Test series against Australia, however, he changed his mind at the last minute.

“We spoke to Haris Rauf about this tour, and he gave his consent to participate in the Test series. However, he changed his mind later and opted to back out of the series,” Wahab Riaz said.

Wahab Riaz further explained the reason for Haris Rauf opting to stay out and his fitness condition.

“He was worried about fitness issues and workload, although we gave him assurances that we would facilitate him and accept any potential failures,” said Riaz.

“Our physio said he has no injury concerns. He is only fatigued, but we could have managed him well. However, he pulled out and is unavailable for this tour.”

Notably, Haris Rauf has represented Pakistan in a single test against England in the home Test series in 2022, where he picked his only Test wicket.

READ: PCB part ways with Director Cricket Mohammad Hafeez after a short stint

MELBOURNE: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi came out in support of Babar Azam during the latter’s rough patch with the bat in 2023.

Ace Pakistan batter Babar Azam has been out of form, especially in Test cricket since the start of the year 2023.

The right-handed batter played five matches in the ongoing year and could only yield 204 runs at a dismal average of 22.66 with the highest score of 41.

He also could not score a single half-century in the longest format in 2023.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi was unfazed by Babar Azam’s dismal Test stats this year and asserted that he is one of the most consistent batters ever produced by the country.

I rate Babar Azam very highly and so does the world,” stated Afridi.

“He is the backbone of Pakistan’s batting lineup. The best batters lose form, but I have seen such consistent batters very rarely in Pakistan cricket,” he added.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Shahid Afridi also refuted concerns regarding Shaheen Afridi carrying an injury despite a significant pace drop in the left-arm pacer’s bowling while also highlighting the need to invest in the team’s bench strength rather than in individuals.

“I’ve never got the impression that Shaheen has an injury. If you’re injured you can’t play as a fast bowler. He knows his responsibility and how important he is to the team. The fast bowlers, we are expecting a lot from them because they’ve done well in the past.

“Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen etc. have performed so well we expect them to perform in every match. Relentless consistency is challenging in cricket.

“I have always said that unless our bench is strong we won’t be able to take the best decisions.

“The A team should be as strong as the main team, so if Shaheen or Babar or Rizwan aren’t strong, we shouldn’t have the excuses of players being unavailable, like we do with Naseem now. When our bench is strong, we will no longer have excuses.”

The former all-rounder also commented on Haris Rauf’s self-imposed absence from the Australia tour and stated that he should have been a part of this Pakistan team.

“I think Haris [Rauf] should be part of this side instead rather than [the BBL],” Afridi, speaking to media at the MCG, said.

“In these conditions, the kind of pace he has, he would have performed well and enjoyed himself on the kinds of pitches Australia prepared in Perth and here.”

READ: Babar Azam, Steve Smith share a funny interaction in Boxing Day Test

ALBURY: Pakistan’s right-arm speedster Haris Rauf on Saturday, left cricket fans in splits when he rushed out to bat unequipped in the Big Bash League (BBL) fixture between Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder.

Haris Rauf, representing Melbourne Stars in the ongoing BBL 2023, found himself the centre of attention in his side’s five-wicket defeat against the Thunder when he came out to bat at No.11.

Rauf came out to bat after his teammate Mark Steketee got run out at the non-strikers’ end on the penultimate delivery. He rushed to the field in fear of getting timed out.

When Haris Rauf entered the field he did not have any safety equipment on but put on gloves and helmets on his way, barring the pads, which he left out.

Since he was not supposed to face the final delivery of the innings, the absence of the pads did not cause any trouble.

No gloves, pads or helmet on 🤣

Haris Rauf was caught by surprise at the end of the Stars innings!@KFCAustralia #BucketMoment #BBL13 pic.twitter.com/ZR9DeP8YhW

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 23, 2023

For the unversed, Haris Rauf presumably was not expecting himself to bat as Melbourne Stars were 170/6 before the commencement of the final over.

Daniel Sams, who was picked in the Platinum category by Karachi Kings in the recently-held Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024 Players Draft, ran through the Stars’ batting tail.

The all-rounder picked up three wickets in the over while Steketee got run out as the Stars slipped from 170/6 to 172 all out.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Sams led the bowling attack for the Thunder with 4/33 in his four overs, followed by Pakistan international Zaman Khan, who returned brilliant figures of 3/24.

Beau Webster top-scored for the Stars with an anchoring half-century. His 59-run knock, which came in 44 balls, featured two boundaries and as many sixes.

In response, the Thunder comfortably chased down the 173-run target for the loss of five wickets and 10 balls to spare.

Openers Alex Hales (40) and Cameron Bancroft (30) not only provided a decent platform for the pursuit but also remained the notable run-getters for the Thunder.

Beau Webster backed his gritty half-century with a four-fer but his all-round exploits went in vain.

Haris Rauf, however, went wicketless and leaked 20 runs in three overs.

READ: Abrar Ahmed ‘not ready’ for second Test against Australia

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued no-objection certificates (NOC) to fast bowlers Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan and leg-spinner Usama Mir for the Big Bash League (BBL) 2023-24.

The board has issued the NOCs considering the workload of players and the future tour programme of the national men’s team.

The PCB understands that this decision is in the best interests of all the stakeholders involved while balancing the importance of game time with workload management.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Haris Rauf and Usama Mir have been granted NOCs for a total of five matches whereas Zaman Khan has been granted NOC for four matches.

All these games are set to take place from 7 to 28 December.

Haris Rauf and Usama Mir are part of the Melbourne Stars squad, while Zaman Khan is part of Sydney Thunder in the BBL.

Haris Rauf has been representing Stars since 2019 and has picked 30 wickets from 18 games in BBL at an impressive average of 16.4.

Melbourne Stars Squad for BBL 2023-24

Glenn Maxwell, Scott Boland, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sam Harper, Joel Paris, Nick Larkin, Tom Rogers, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Liam Dawson

Sydney Thunder Squad for BBL 2023-24

Chris Green (c), Cameron Bancroft, Ollie Davies, Matt Gilkes, Liam Hatcher, Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner, Alex Hales, Zaman Khan

READ: Sarfaraz Ahmed upbeat for tough challenge in Australia Tests

LAHORE: Wahab Riaz, the head of the national men’s selection committee, said that fast bowler Haris Rauf pulled out of the Australian tour at the last minute resulting in his absence from the Pakistan squad.

Wahab Riaz told during the press conference that Haris Rauf was in the plans for the Test series against Australia, however, he changed his mind at the last minute.

“We spoke to Haris Rauf about this tour, and he gave his consent to participate in the Test series. However, he changed his mind later and opted to back out of the series,” Wahab Riaz said.

Wahab Riaz further explained the reason for Haris Rauf opting to stay out and his fitness condition.

“He was worried about fitness issues and workload, although we gave him assurances that we would facilitate him and accept any potential failures,” said Riaz. “Our physio said he has no injury concerns. He is only fatigued, but we could have managed him well. However, he pulled out and is unavailable for this tour.”

He also shed light on how the team management had planned to utilise him

“We had planned to utilise Haris Rauf as an impact bowler in our Test plans, after discussions with the captain and team director. We needed him to bowl 10-15 overs, which he has bowled in ODIs too,”

Haris Rauf represented Pakistan in a single test against England in the home Test series last year, where he picked only one wicket.

Pakistan’s squad will partake in a training camp from 23 to 28 November at Pindi Cricket Stadium before departing from Lahore on 30 November.

Pakistan will kick off the Test series with the first Test in Perth from 14-18 December 2023.

Pakistan squad for the tour of Australia

Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi

READ: India searches for answers after another ICC event final defeat

Pakistan’s speedster Haris Rauf shared that he is fully fit and ready to shine at the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 in India, commencing on October 5.

Haris Rauf suffered an injury during Pakistan’s Super 4 clash against India at the Asia Cup 2023 and subsequently missed Pakistan’s final Super 4 match against Sri Lanka.

Nonetheless, he was selected in Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the ICC World Cup 2023.

The 29-year-old fast bowler, while talking to the media termed it an honor to represent Pakistan at the World Cup.

“It is every player’s dream to play in the World Cup, it is an honour for me to represent Pakistan at the World Cup,” said Haris Rauf. “I am fully fit and ready to perform well at the World Cup.”

He also shared that fellow fast bowler Naseem Shah will be missed gravely at the World Cup, who also got injured during the match against India, and was ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2023.

“It is a pity that Naseem Shah is not there [at the World Cup],” he added.

Haris Rauf generally comes to bowl at first change, however, he is ready to fill the role of new ball bowler in Naseem’s absence if the situation demands.

“I am ready to perform at any position for the team, be it with the new ball or at the first change,” he stated. “As professionals, it is our job to perform at any position in any condition,”

He also responded to the criticism that Pakistani pace bowlers lack aggression and get relaxed at times.

“We are aggressive as fast bowlers, if anyone thinks that we are relaxed then that is their thinking,” he concluded.

Haris Rauf has represented Pakistan in 28 ODIs and has picked 53 wickets at 24.32.

Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.

Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan

Pakistan’s warm-up matches schedule:

• September 29 — vs New Zealand in Hyderabad
• October 3 — vs Australia in Hyderabad

Pakistan’s schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:

• October 6 – vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
• October 10 – vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
• October 14 – vs India in Ahmedabad
• October 20 – vs Australia in Bengaluru
• October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
• October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai
• October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
• November 4 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
• November 11 – vs England in Kolkata

The day matches will start at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures, starting at 01:30 pm (PST).

READ: Mubasir Khan replaces Mohammad Hasnain for Asian Games 2023

Pakistan captain Babar Azam said on Friday that injured pace bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah remained central to his team’s ICC ODI World Cup 2023 plans after their absence saw the team crash out of the Asia Cup.

Babar Azam’s men went down to fellow co-hosts Sri Lanka by two wickets Thursday in a last-ball thriller of a rain-shortened Super Four knockout game in Colombo.

Both Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf were injured in the Super Four loss to India in the 50-over tournament, a tune-up for the ODI World Cup in India starting next month.

“Haris Rauf is not bad, he has a little bit side strain but will recover before the World Cup,” said Azam.

“Naseem Shah has missed a couple of matches but I don’t know about his recovery. But in my opinion he will be in the World Cup.”

The pace duo’s absence was felt when Pakistan failed to defend 252 in their 42-over-a-side match against Sri Lanka.

Charith Asalanka steered his side home in that game, hitting a four and a double off the last two balls, bowled by debutant Zaman Khan.

“Definitely when you lose your best bowlers, that costs you and your team,” Azam said after the match.

“We were not short of effort but didn’t finish well.”

Zaman, a fast bowler who made an impression in the Pakistan Super League, needed to defend eight runs and bowled the first four for just two, including a wicket.

But the left-handed Asalanka, who made 49, had the home crowd rejoicing with his winning strike to take Sri Lanka, who won the last edition of the tournament, into their 11th Asia Cup final.

Azam said the team would learn from their mistakes to put on a better show in India next month, where they will meet the hosts in a hotly anticipated October 14 clash in Ahmedabad.

“In fielding we lacked the kind of response that we should have got. In the bowling, there is an issue in the middle overs,” said Azam.

“We will try to learn from them and will clear them before going into the World Cup.”

READ: Teenager Lamine Yamal’s star rising as Barcelona host Real Betis

COLOMBO: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Monday that Shahnawaz Dahani and Zaman Khan have been added as backup pacers for the Asia Cup 2023 remainder.

According to a statement issued by the PCB, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zaman Khan have been called up as backup pacers after Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah picked up niggles in match against India.

“This is only a precautionary measure keeping in mind the fitness and well-being of the players ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup next month,” the statement said.

The statement noted that Haris and Naseem will continue to remain under the observation of the team’s medical panel.

“The team management will only request replacement from the ACC technical committee if Naseem or Haris are ruled out for the next seven days,” it concluded.

Pakistan suffered a blow when officials said fast bowler Haris Rauf had suffered a strain and would take no further part. Later fellow quick Naseem Shah also walked off with some discomfort to his hand.

It is pertinent to mention here that Virat Kohli and returning KL Rahul hit unbeaten centuries to lead India’s 228-run thrashing of Pakistan in a rain-hit Super Four clash of the Asia Cup 2023 on Monday’s reserve day.

Kohli (122) and Rahul (111) put together 233 runs as India reached 356-2, a total defended after they bowled out Pakistan for 128 in the 50-over contest in Colombo.

Pakistan ended on 128-8 in 32 overs with injured bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah not turning out to bat. India spinner Kuldeep Yadav returned figures of 5-25.

READ: All-round India humble Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s clash

COLOMBO: Fast bowler Haris Rauf has been ruled out of the PAK vs IND clash of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.

“Haris Rauf will not be bowling any further in the Asia Cup Super 4 match against India as a precautionary measure. He felt a little discomfort in his right flank during the match yesterday,” the PCB said in a brief statement.

“He was subsequently taken for a precautionary MRI, which revealed no tear. He is under the observation of the team’s medical panel.”

Haris Rauf gave away 27 runs in his five wicketless overs against India yesterday before rain played spoilsport.

The highly-anticipated PAK vs IND clash was postponed yesterday to the reserve day after persistent rain denied play on Sunday.

When the rain intervened, India had raced to 147/2 in 24.1 overs with KL Rahul (17*) and Virat Kohli (8*) at the crease. They will resume India’s first innings today.

Earlier, after being put into bat first in the high-octane PAK vs IND clash, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India a flying start with a magnificent 121-run partnership.

The pair dominated Pakistan’s bowling attack including their pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.

Both Gill and Sharma, who struggled against the trio in the previous PAK vs IND clash on September 2, made a sensational comeback.

The duo frustrated Pakistan bowlers before Shadab Khan finally struck in his third over, removing Sharma, soon after he amassed his half-century.

Rohit Sharma smashed six boundaries and four sixes on his way to a brisk 49-ball 56.

Gill, on the other hand, soon followed the footsteps of his captain and walked back to the pavilion in the next over after being outdone by Shaheen Shah Afridi’s slower delivery.

He scored a 52-ball 58 which featured 10 boundaries.

Following the back-to-back blows, star batter Virat Kohli and returning KL Rahul batted cautiously amid their unbeaten 24-run partnership for the third wicket before rain interrupted the PAK vs IND clash.

After the dark clouds scattered and the rain finally decided to ease out, the umpires carried out several field inspections and opted not to resume the action due to a wet outfield.

Sri Lankan groundsmen made desperate efforts to dry out the wet areas by using sponges and fans and when they apparently got the situation under control, rain returned and eventually forced the match to be decided on the reserve day.

READ: New Zealand unveil squad for ICC ODI World Cup 2023