Shaheen Shah Afridi: “Haris is a mentally strong boy and this won’t affect him hopefully, and perhaps the PCB will also understand making the decision at this time was not correct”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has admitted that the timing of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to terminate fast bowler Haris Rauf’s central contract “was not correct.”
Rauf saw his contract torn up just before the ongoing 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) started.
The 30-year-old plays for the Lahore Qalandars, which is the team Afridi captains. As a result, Afridi had concerns about whether the PCB’s decision would have a negative impact on Rauf’s performance.
Sadly, Rauf’s PSL 9 campaign only lasted four games as he suffered a dislocated shoulder, which has ruled him out for the remainder of the tournament. It is understood that he will need four to six weeks to make a full recovery.
“I don’t have much to say about the PCB’s decision,” Afridi told ESPNcricinfo. “But the timing is such we have a match in one day and the decision just came through. Haris is a mentally strong boy and this won’t affect him hopefully, and perhaps the PCB will also understand making the decision at this time was not correct.
Afridi, meanwhile, has taken nine wickets in six matches at an average of 22.22 and an economy rate of 8.33.
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 9: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen, Haris Rauf, David Wiese, Sahibzada Farhan, Sikandar Raza, Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan, Mirza Tahir Baig, Mohammad Imran, Ahsan Hafeez, Dan Lawrence, Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun, Shai Hope, Kamran Ghulam, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Tayyab Abbas
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