3 times Haris Rauf's pace proved too hot to handle
Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf recorded his best ODI figures of 5-18 in the first ODI against Afghanistan at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota on Tuesday.
His impressive display comes at a great time for the Men in Green as they head into the ODI World Cup as one of the favorites, primarily on the back of their usual prowess in the pace department. The right-arm pacer has been in red-hot form, having gone wicketless only twice across his last 10 ODI appearances.
The Pakistani bowlers were faced with a tough ask after the team was bowled out for only 201 while batting first. Led by Rauf, the bowlers ran through the Afghanistan batting unit and bundled them out for just 59 runs in 19.2 overs.
The Afghanistan batters could not handle the sheer pace of Haris Rauf, with even the likes of Rashid Khan, who is an able batter, bowled by a scorching delivery that clocked 146.1 kmph on the speed gun.
Rauf was adjudged as player of the match for his stunning spell as well. On that note, let us take a look at three such spells by the bowler that proved too hot to handle for the batters.
#1 4-18 (Pakistan vs New Zealand 1st T20I; Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore; 14 April 2023)
Haris Rauf's best T20I figures came against New Zealand during the bilateral series in April 2023. The right-arm pacer picked up four wickets while conceding only 18 runs to guide Pakistan to an 88-run margin.
He picked up the wickets of Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, and Benjamin Lister in his spell. Rauf came into the attack in the second half of the run chase and took matters into his own hands to wrap up the proceedings.
He went on to pick four wickets in the next match as well to mark a truly memorable series.
#2 1-12 (Pakistan vs Zimbabwe Super 12s; Perth Stadium ;27 October 2022)
The fiery green surface at Perth was the perfect venue for Haris Rauf to operate on. He haunted the Zimbabawe batters with his sheer pace and bounce during a contest in the Super 12s stages of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Rauf clicked up to 148 kmph during the spell which yielded a wicket in his very first over itself. Craig Ervine had no answer to the pace and bounce, resulting in a poor mistimed shot leading to a soft dismissal. His second over was a maiden, as again, the batters did not have any clue as to how to deal with the raw, lethal pace.
Rauf bowled two overs in the death, conceding only nine runs off it to finish with excellent figures of 4-1-12-1 as Pakistan restricted the opposition to just 130-8. However, his spell went in vain, as Babar Azam and Co. fell one run short of the target.
#3 3-32 (Pakistan vs England; 4th T20I; National Stadium, Karachi; 25 September 2022)
Haris Rauf put up one of the finest death bowling displays in recent memory against a visiting England side to guide Pakistan to a narrow two-run victory from the jaws of defeat.
Defending 167 runs, the hosts seemed out of the contest following an expensive over by Mohammed Hasnain, which reduced the equation to just nine runs required off the last two overs.
Haris Rauf, who had claimed the wicket of David Willey in the previous over, was entrusted to bowl the penultimate over. He conceded only five runs and took two wickets to bring Pakistan back into the contest. His penultimate delivery was a yorker clocked at 155 kmph, one of the fastest deliveries of his career so far.
Rauf was adjudged Player of the Match for his performance that helped Pakistan level the seven-match series at 2-2.
What are some of the other scorching spells by the pacer across formats? Let us know what you think.