Aaqib Javed: “There are very less bowlers in the world like Haris Rauf. He is a strong pillar of the bowling of Pakistan”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Lahore Qalandars head coach Aaqib Javed believes express bowler Haris Rauf is a rare talent and “a strong pillar of the bowling of Pakistan.”
Aaqib’s praise comes at a time when Rauf has been heavily criticised, particularly for leaking too many runs when bowling.
The 30-year-old also had his central contract terminated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after pulling out of Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia, which took place from December 2023 to January 2024.
However, it has since been reinstated following a massive uproar.
Rauf also suffered a dislocated shoulder early on in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), which brought his campaign to a premature end.
Aaqib feels Rauf doesn’t deserve to be lambasted as much as he has been, especially considering there are very few bowlers in the world who can bowl at speeds near 155 kph.
“There are very less bowlers in the world like Haris Rauf. He is a strong pillar of the bowling of Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Qalandars had a season to forget in PSL 9 as they only won 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 held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27.
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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