Shaheen Shah Afridi: “Haris Rauf… stands as the best T20 bowler”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi believes fellow speedster Haris Rauf is the “best T20 bowler” right now.
Rauf has excelled in the shortest format due to his raw pace as he can bowl close to 155 kph. Additionally, he also possesses a wide range of variations, including lethal bouncers, toe-crushing yorkers and deceptive slower balls.
The 30-year-old’s most recent T20I appearance came during the five-match series against New Zealand in January 2024, where he took seven wickets in four games at an average of 23 and an economy rate of 10.61.
Following that, he represented the Lahore Qalandars in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and claimed two wickets in four games at an average of 66 and an economy rate of 9.42.
Rauf’s campaign came to an end early as he suffered a dislocated shoulder, which will take four to six weeks to heal.
Despite his underwhelming performance in PSL 9, Afridi reiterated that in his mind, Rauf stands at the summit when it comes to the top T20 bowlers.
“Haris Rauf… stands as the best T20 bowler,” he was quoted as saying by The Nation.
The Qalandars, who were captained by Afridi, finished in last place on the points table in PSL 9 after only winning one out of the 10 games they played.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which will be played in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27.
Afridi won’t be leading the T20I team anymore as Babar Azam was recently appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball captain.
It should be noted that Azam stepped down as skipper in all three formats following the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
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