T20 World Cup 2022: Haris Rauf celebrates his 29th birthday; teammates prank speedster by cutting his cake- Watch
Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf celebrated his 29th birthday in Australia with his teammates earlier today. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted a video clip of him amid the celebrations on their official Twitter handle.
Matthew Hayden, the Pakistani teamβs mentor for the T20 World Cup 2022 was spotted hugging the Rawalpindi native in the video, as did Mohammad Haris and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
In a fun turn of events, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi pranked the Pakistan speedster by deciding to cut the birthday cake themselves with him screaming βMeri Hai! (it's mine)β in the background.
Haris Rauf was eventually able to cut his cake with Asif Ali, Wasim Jnr, Shahnawaz Dahani, Naseem Shah, and the others singing Happy Birthday. His teammates, including Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, and Rumman Raees, also wished the cricketer on Twitter.
Birthday celebrations for @HarisRauf14! π
#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup https://t.co/AsNieWJlKF
Pakistan will hope for Haris Rauf to deliver when they lock horns against New Zealand in the first semi-final
It was a double celebration for Pakistan, who made it to the semi-finals of the showpiece event despite being on the verge of an early exit.
Pakistan made a back-door entry into the semifinals after the Babar Azam-led side, following two agonizingly close losses to India and Zimbabwe, was almost on their way back home.
New Zealand
ππ¨π§ππ’π«π¦ππ
Pakistan π New Zealand
Semi-final at the SCG! π
#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup https://t.co/8Xqs6Qwvaf
The fightback, which included wins over the Netherlands and South Africa, left them in contention for the semifinals. However, they were still dependent on other results. The early morning game on Sunday between the Netherlands and South Africa was clinical in deciding their fate.
The Dutch side upset the Proteas, giving Pakistan a lifeline, which they capitalized on by trouncing Bangladesh by five wickets in a virtual quarterfinal in Adelaide.
Notably, Pakistan and New Zealand will meet in the first semi-final of the World Cup in Sydney on November 9 (Wednesday).