Shoaib Akhtar: “Haris Rauf is one of the top 5 white-ball bowlers in the world”

Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani

Legendary Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has named Haris Rauf as one of the top five white-ball bowlers in the world.

Rauf has been in excellent form in limited overs cricket as he has been taking plenty of wickets and tormenting opposition batsmen with his raw pace.

During Pakistan’s tour of Australia, he took 10 wickets in three ODIs, which included a five-wicket haul, at an average of 12.

In the T20Is that followed, he ended up with five wickets in three games at an average of 15.40.

The 31-year-old then travelled to Zimbabwe and began by claiming three wickets in three ODIs at an average of 32.

As for the three-match T20I series, he snapped up three wickets in two games at an average of 10.

Following this, Pakistan embarked on a tour of South Africa, but Rauf failed to take a single wicket in both the T20I and ODI series.

Nonetheless, Akhtar still thinks he is right up there with the best bowlers in the world.

“Haris Rauf is one of the top 5 white-ball bowlers in the world,” the Rawalpindi Express was quoted as saying on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Rauf is now featuring in Pakistan’s ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, and began his campaign with figures of 1-23 off 6.2 overs in the opening game against New Zealand.

However, he left the field midway through the innings and was later diagnosed with a low-grade side strain.

After the ODI tri-series, Pakistan will take part in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will be played from February 19 to March 9.

Pakistan Squad for 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

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