Haris Rauf: “No matter what happens, I just need to take your wicket. Only you and Kohli are the exception now”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Haris Rauf, the Pakistan fast bowler, has warned captain Babar Azam that he and India batsman Virat Kohli are two names on his list of cricketers he wants to dismiss.
Rauf has gotten Azam out in practice sessions before, but insisted that those don’t count as he wants to do it in a match.
This means the 29-year-old will have to wait until the Pakistan Super League (PSL) or another domestic T20 league where he and Azam end up on opposing teams.
In regards to Kohli, India and Pakistan don’t face each other very often, but Rauf will have the chance to get the Indian superstar out during the Asia Cup and the ICC Cricket World Cup.
“No matter what happens, I just need to take your wicket. Only you and Kohli are the exception now. (Kane) Williamson was saved from slip twice but these three-four players are in my mind,” he said in a video uploaded by the Lahore Qalandars on Twitter.
Azam subsequently said: “But you already got me in practice sessions. Why don’t you consider those?”
Rauf replied: “Nah. I need your wicket in the match.”
Azam and Rauf both recently played in Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, where the skipper scored 113 runs, which included a top score of 60, at an average of 37.66.
As for Rauf, he took five wickets in two games at an average of 13.20.
The men in green will now play in the Asia Cup, which will be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup:Â Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel (Afghanistan series only), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr