"Haris Rauf bowling in death means death for the batters" - Fans react to Rauf's 3/38 in NZ vs PAK 2nd T20I
Haris Rauf starred with the ball for Pakistan against New Zealand in the second T20I at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday (January 14).
The speedster finished with excellent figures of 3/38. Rauf proved expensive in his first two overs but made a stunning comeback, bagging three wickets and giving away just eight runs in his last two overs.
Rauf took the prized scalp of dangerous Glenn Phillips (13 runs off nine balls) before dismissing Adam Milne and Ish Sodhi for ducks in the penultimate over of the Kiwi innings.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) lauded Haris Rauf for his brilliant death bowling against New Zealand in the second T20I. One user wrote:
"Haris Rauf bowling in death means death for the batters."
Here are some more reactions:
For the unversed, Rauf enjoys a brilliant track record against the BlackCaps in T20Is, having picked up 30 wickets in 14 matches. The 30-year-old had also scalped two wickets in the first T20I against the Kiwis.
Haris Rauf helps Pakistan restrict New Zealand under 200
A clinical batting performance from Finn Allen helped New Zealand put up 194/8 in their allotted 20 overs against Pakistan in the second T20I. Allen smashed 74 runs off 41 balls, hitting five sixes and seven boundaries.
Meanwhile, captain Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner and Devon Conway chipped in with 26 (15), 25 (13) and 20 (15), respectively.
Apart from Haris Rauf, Abbas Afridi bagged two wickets for Pakistan, while Aamer Jamal and Usama Mir settled for one wicket apiece.
In response, Pakistan were 11/2 after two overs, with Babar Azam and Fakhar Azam at the crease. Tim Southee and Adam Milne dismissed openers Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan early.
New Zealand are currently leading the five-match T20I series 1-0. Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell smashed half-centuries before Tim Southee bagged a four-wicket haul in a 46-run win over the visitors in the series opener. The Men in Green were bundled out for 180 while chasing 227.
The two teams will next play the third T20I at the University Oval in Dunedin on Wednesday, January 17.
Follow the NZ vs PAK 2nd T20I live score and updates here.