Shaheen Shah Afridi: “Haris is a strength for Pakistan cricket in white-ball cricket”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said having fellow fast bowler Haris Rauf in the line-up makes the team stronger in limited overs cricket.
Rauf has become an integral member of the pace attack in ODIs and T20Is as he bowls at speeds of over 150 kph and takes wickets regularly.
Lately, however, he has come under a lot of criticism for leaking too many runs, which was evident during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
In the tournament, the 30-year-old conceded 533 runs in nine matches, which is the most by any bowler in a single edition of the World Cup.
Regardless of this, Afridi doesn’t want to see Rauf dropped as he believes the Rawalpindi native is a major asset for the men in green.
“Haris is a strength for Pakistan cricket in white-ball cricket,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Afridi is currently playing in Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia and has taken eight wickets in the first two Tests at an average of 41.62.
Rauf was supposed to be included in the squad, but pulled out of the tour at the last moment due to concerns about his workload.
He is now representing the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL).
The third Test between Pakistan and Australia will start on January 3 in Melbourne.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: 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, Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Shah Afridi