Morne Morkel: “He’s a guy who always gives 100%. I can’t fault him for anything”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan bowling coach Morne Morkel has refused to question fast bowler Haris Rauf’s effort and commitment, saying he “can’t fault him for anything” as he always “gives 100%.”
Rauf’s commitment has been called into question after he withdrew from the squad for Pakistan’s upcoming tour of Australia due to concerns about his workload.
Chief selector Wahab Riaz claimed that the 30-year-old had initially agreed to bowl 10 to 12 overs per day before opting to pull out altogether.
Despite this, Morkel stood by Rauf, especially after his performance in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, where he took 16 wickets in nine matches at an average of 33.31.
“He’s a guy who always gives 100%. I can’t fault him for anything,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Pakistan won their first two World Cup games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before falling to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Despite bouncing back with consecutive victories over Bangladesh and New Zealand, they failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
The men in green ended their campaign on a sour note as England hammered them by 93 runs.
Pakistan’s tour of Australia will consist of three Test matches and begin on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series:Â Shan Masood (captain), Aamer 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