Rashid Latif: “They should bring Haris for [the] South Africa Tests. He can be lethal in South Africa. I can guarantee his success but I can’t say the same for other bowlers”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif wants pace bowler Haris Rauf to be selected for the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa, saying he “can guarantee his success”.
Latif believes Rauf would be lethal in the South African conditions and would cause a lot of problems for the Proteas.
It should be noted that the 31-year-old has only featured in one Test, which came against England all the way back in December 2022.
Despite mainly playing limited overs cricket, Latif insisted that Rauf can have a major impact for Pakistan in Tests.
“They should bring Haris for [the] South Africa Tests. He can be lethal in South Africa. I can guarantee his success but I can’t say the same for other bowlers,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Rauf recently played in Pakistan’s limited overs series against Australia and took 10 wickets in three ODIs, which included a five-wicket haul, at an average of 12.
He then proceeded to claim five wickets in three T20Is at an average of 15.40.
After the Australia series, Pakistan went to Zimbabwe and Rauf continued to impress as he picked up three wickets in three ODIs at an average of 32.
In the T20Is that followed, he finished with three wickets in two games at an average of 10.
As for the ongoing tour of South Africa, Rauf went wicketless in the T20I series and suffered the same fate in the two ODIs he played.
The two-Test series between Pakistan and South Africa will commence on December 26 in Centurion.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha