Shaheen Shah Afridi: “I hope Haris Rauf doesn’t dare to bowl against me [in BBL]. If he does, I will hit him for a lot of sixes”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi joked that fellow fast bowler Haris Rauf shouldn’t bowl to him as he will “hit him for a lot of sixes”.
Afridi’s comments come after both players will represent different teams in the upcoming season of the Big Bash League (BBL).
The 25-year-old was drafted by the Brisbane Heat, while Rauf will play for the Melbourne Stars.
When the Heat play against the Stars in BBL 15, Afridi hopes Rauf “doesn’t dare to bowl against me” as it will be raining sixes.
“I hope Haris Rauf doesn’t dare to bowl against me [in BBL]. If he does, I will hit him for a lot of sixes,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Afridi recently captained the Lahore Qalandars in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and finished as the highest wicket-taker with 19 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 16.42 and an economy rate of 7.76.
Rauf also featured for the Qalandars in PSL 10 and the was joint second-highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 13 games at an average of 25.70 and an economy rate of 10.28.
After the PSL, Afridi wasn’t picked for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore and the T20I tour of Bangladesh.
Rauf did take part in Pakistan’s home series against Bangladesh and claimed one wicket in two games at an average of 59 and an economy rate of 11.80.
However, he wasn’t involved in the tour of Bangladesh, where Pakistan lost the T20I series 2-1.
After back-to-back series against Bangladesh, Pakistan travelled to the West Indies, where Afridi made his T20I comeback and finished with two wickets in two matches at an average of 29 and an economy rate of 7.25.
Rauf also played in the three-match T20I series, picking up one wicket in two games at an average of 75 and an economy rate of 9.37.
He didn’t feature in the ODI series that followed, but Afridi did and ended up with four wickets in two matches at an average of 21.50.
Next up for Pakistan will be a T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, which will be held from August 29 to September 7.
Following this, the men in green will participate in the 2025 Asia Cup, which will take place in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem