Wasim Akram: “He doesn’t play red-ball cricket. He’s not going to improve. If he’s not going to play, you don’t want a player in your team who refuses to play red-ball cricket”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan fast bowling great Wasim Akram has expressed his frustration at the fact that rapid speedster Haris Rauf refuses to play red-ball cricket regularly.
Rauf has only played one Test to date, but questions remain as to whether he actually has any interest in the longest format of the game.
While the 32-year-old has stated that he does harbour ambitions to play Tests again, Wasim has doubts as the Rawalpindi native hasn’t been involved in red-ball matches on a consistent basis.
Given that Rauf has played only 13 first-class matches so far, the Sultan of Swing questioned how he can improve without honing his skills through long bowling spells.
“He doesn’t play red-ball cricket. He’s not going to improve. If he’s not going to play, you don’t want a player in your team who refuses to play red-ball cricket. At least play four or five first-class games. The control is not there because he doesn’t play red-ball cricket. PCB has to sit down and think, if you’re not playing red-ball cricket, thank you very much. You want to improve your length, and his run-up-he’s not the smoothest,” Wasim said on Sony Sports as quoted by NDTV.
Rauf was recently in action in the 2025 Asia Cup, where he picked up nine wickets in five matches at an average of 18.33 and an economy rate of nine.
He subsequently missed the two Tests and three T20Is Pakistan played against South Africa.
In regards to the ODI series, he went wicketless in the one match he featured in.
Rauf has performed a lot better in the ongoing three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, claiming seven wickets in two games at an average of 18.14.
After the ODIs conclude, Pakistan will join Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in a T20I tri-series from November 18 to 29.
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe T20I Tri-Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
Reserves: Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem
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