Shaheen Shah Afridi: “He is not just Lahore Qalandars’ but Pakistan’s best bowler, so it’s important for him to find his form again”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said it is important for pace bowler Haris Rauf to “find his form again” as he is “Pakistan’s best bowler.”
Rauf has been struggling to take wickets consistently, but what’s more concerning is the amount of runs he has been leaking when bowling.
In the recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand, the 30-year-old claimed seven wickets in four games at an average of 23 and an economy rate of 10.61.
He then played for the Lahore Qalandars in the ongoing 2024 Pakistan Super League, but was ruled out of the tournament after four matches due to a dislocated shoulder that will require four to six weeks to heal.
In those four games, Rauf only managed to take two wickets at an average of 66 and an economy rate of 9.42.
Given how important the 150 kph speedster is to the Pakistan team, Afridi, who captains the Qalandars, noted that it is imperative for him to rediscover his form as soon as possible.
“He is not just Lahore Qalandars’ but Pakistan’s best bowler, so it’s important for him to find his form again,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
Afridi, meanwhile, has snapped up nine wickets in six matches in PSL 9 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