Pakistan took the field in Adelaide in a must-win game against Australia in the second ODI looking for inspiration once again from their bowling line-up that almost got the job done in Melbourne after Haris Rauf’s heroics but fell just short.
With Shaheen Afridi looking like Shaheen of old and Naseem Shah doing his thing Pakistan looked set on restricting the hosts to a modest total. That was the case, at least, until the newly anointed captain Rizwan handed the ball to Rauf and the fiery pacer went on to tear through the Aussies like a hot knife through butter as they say. His figures were the best by a Pakistani bowler at Adelaide underscoring his importance to the team.
Despite his dwarfing figures over the other three, Haris Rauf’s name is not revered as much as his counterparts.
Perhaps it has something to do with his unconventional journey to the international side. Haris was not scouted by any youth teams. He did not play for any of PCB’s under-19 or under-16 teams he was still playing tape-ball cricket until a few years ago.
Lahore Qalandars found him out of a sea of talent during one of their trials and his hard work did the rest. Success in PSL paved his way to Australia and his stint at Melbourne Stars made him a household name. A call-up to the national team was next and he has not looked back since.
Yet, doubts have remained about his calibre in international cricket since he first took the field against Bangladesh in 2020, his first international game. Tamim Iqbal, Litton Das and co looked fearless against his fire and he finished with just a solitary wicket in the game. He would eventually find his footing in the international scene forming a formidable bowling lineup with Shaheen and Naseem.
All three would be lauded but the praise for the other two was always louder. Shaheen was Shahid Afridi’s son-in-law and a future captain. He was taking wickets for fun in PSL and leading them to two titles while Naseem was the second coming of some of the most ferocious bowlers from Pakistan’s past.
He had Mohammad Sami’s outswing, he had Waqar’s pace and the locks which would make the cricketers in the 1970s jealous. Rauf had none of that except pace. He doesn’t swing the ball at all, he cannot move it off the seam unless the surface is really helpful. Despite all that he was succeeding.
Whenever Pakistan needed a wicket, it was Rauf who would pop up to bail Pakistan out but yet he went unnoticed. That was always the case.
No one remembers that Virat Kohli smacked every Pakistani bowler all over the park on that night in Melbourne but everyone remembers the six Kohli hit off Rauf which many call the greatest shot ever hit in the history of T20 cricket. Nobody remembers that Rauf almost turned the T20 Final against England on its head with the ball and no one remembers Rauf has more wickets than Shaheen and Naseem in T20 cricket.
He has taken 106 wickets, Shaheen has 96 and Naseem is far behind with 24, he has 3 4-wicket halls to Shaheen’s two.
Pakistan Pacers Stats:
ODIs
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate |
| Shaheen Afridi | 55 | 109 | 23.47 | 5.47 | 25.7 |
| Naseem Shah | 16 | 34 | 19.02 | 4.85 | 23.5 |
| Haris Rauf | 39 | 77 | 24.90 | 5.94 | 25.1 |
T20Is
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate |
| Shaheen Afridi | 70 | 96 | 20.39 | 7.65 | 15.9 |
| Naseem Shah | 28 | 24 | 32.75 | 7.69 | 25.5 |
| Haris Rauf | 72 | 102 | 20.94 | 8.16 | 15.3 |
But that has been his life, unfortunately, underappreciated, and under-loved since breaking into the team.
Pakistan needed a spark against Australia after wilting once again with the bat in the first ODI. Rizwan turned to Rauf, once again at the place where Kohli had turned his bowling into a meme. He sent back Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Gleen Maxwell but it was not enough as Pakistan went down.
Rauf left no prisoners in the next game as he registered the best figures by a Pakistani bowler in Adelaide to help his side draw level against the formidable Aussies. Aussies, who do not lose at home except to the most generational teams and players. But Haris is not generational, is he? He never has been. Maybe he doesn’t need to be. Maybe he needs to keep being Haris Rauf to continue his success.
He is 31 now and if history is any indicator his best days as a fast bowler should be behind him any day now. Except he is not going to pay any attention to that. He will simply continue to do what he has done all these years. Overcome the odds, overcome the lack of fanfare and continue bowling fast. Maybe when his day is done, he will get the recognition he deserves, for now, Haris Rauf is just going to stay Haris Rauf.
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Against aus he gave 100 runs in worldcup. he was criticized rightly.