“Haris Rauf’s Roller Coaster: From Retirement Thoughts to New Zealand’s 27-run Over Onslaught”

"Haris Rauf's Roller Coaster: Retirement to 27-run Onslaught"

NZ VS PAK : Pacer Haris Rauf thought about quitting international cricket after receiving criticism for pulling out of the Test series between Pakistan and Australia earlier this month. Rauf, 30, was reportedly so distraught that he had already made up his mind, but his friends and family persuaded him otherwise, according to a story in the Pakistani media. After Pakistan’s World Cup 2023 campaign, Rauf expressed his exhaustion and asked for a break, indicating that he wanted to recuperate from the three Test series he had left behind.

However, given to the bouncy surfaces in Australia and Rauf’s ability to generate pace, coach Mickey Arthur had different ideas and insisted on having him play. It turns out, nevertheless, that Rauf had warned the team management about his worries over workload and his lackluster health, which showed in his performance in the ICC event. He gained the questionable distinction of being the most costly bowler in World Cup history for Pakistan. Following a conversation with chief selector Wahab Riaz and team director Mohammad Hafeez, Rauf ultimately made the decision to quit.

And Rauf was right when he made that evaluation. He was hurt as he was bowling just 13 overs in a Test match against England in December. In reality, though, the conflicting stories were what created uncertainty. Although sources close to the pacer confirmed he never played against Australia, Riaz said Haris had promised to doing so.

Rauf gave up 2/60 when playing New Zealand.
Rauf played four games for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League when he eventually made a comeback to action. Rauf scored 3/38 against the Sydney Sixers and 3/24 against the Hobart Hurricanes, respectively, after going wicketless against the Sydney Thunder and Perth Scorchers. The Pakistani quick, who had gone into the New Zealand T20Is with the confidence of two three-fers, did fairly well, taking five wickets; however, earlier in the day, he was thoroughly outclassed, losing sixty runs in four overs and picking up two wickets in Dunedin when Finn Allen blasted him for twenty-seven runs in an over.

PAKISTAN T20I SQUAD AGAINST NEWZELAND :

Shaheen Afridi (c), Aamir Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan.