Former veteran Pakistani bowler has warned national team selectors to not get carried away by Haris Rauf’s Big Bash League (BBL) performances.
The young pacer has made a huge impact with Sydney Thunder as he has taken 14 wickets in only 5 matches including a hattrick.
However, Yasir claimed that Haris needs to prove his worth in Pakistan’s domestic circuit before he should be considered for the national team, something which Shahid Afridi has also advocated for.
In a blog for pakpassion.net, Yasir wrote:
There is little doubt in anyone’s mind that Haris Rauf’s recent performances at the BBL have been excellent and to me he is turning out to be a superb Twenty20 bowler with a great future ahead of him,” wrote Yasir. “He has pace, is accurate and has aggression and a great attitude about him which are all the ingredients for a good fast-bowler. I am sure the selectors will be keeping a keen eye on his performances and he will be a good choice for Pakistan in Twenty20s, if he does well in PSL.
He further added: “I will at this point sound a note of warning and say that we should not be carried away with his current performances and ability to bowl fast and that he should be only given a chance in ODIs or Tests if he performs well in domestic cricket.”
Yasir’s comments came after Waqar Younis publicly praised Haris Rauf for his superb performances and was worried that the selectors might fast track his promotion to the national team.
Previously, Pakistani selectors faced a lot of criticism with the selection of Muhammad Musa as well, who clearly was not prepared for Test cricket pressure; especially away from home against opposition like Australia.
