HARIS RAUF IS UNDER PRESSURE, BUT HE'LL COME BACK STRONG: BABAR AZAM BACKS ACE PACER
Babar Azam has backed Haris Rauf to make a strong comeback. Rauf hasn't had the best of times since the ODI World Cup, where he leaked runs at an alarming rate. Days before the start of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revoked his central. Although the PCB restored the contract later, Rauf found himself in a deeper hole after sustaining a shoulder injury while playing for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL.
Having not played any form of cricket for over 2 months, the 30-year-old Rauf is set to make his return to the international circuit after being named in the Pakistan squad for the T20I series against Ireland and England. Babar said that he was amazed to see how fast Rauf has improved his fitness.
"Haris Rauf's fitness is much improved; I wasn't expecting him to recover so fast. He's positive about his involvement in the tournament and very driven to succeed. There's pressure on him because there's been a lot of talk about him, but I think he'll come back strong. When you come back from a rest, mentally, physically, you can create quite an impact," Babar said in a press-conference.
'We're not playing any personal games'
Babar, who recently returned as the national white-ball skipper, said that Pakistan do not have much time before the T20 World Cup and cannot afford to rotate players around. He also talked about his conversation with Gary Kirsten, who took charge as the head coach of Pakistan's white-ball teams.
"We're not playing any personal games. We'll do whatever's best for the team. It's not to do with individual players' personal preferences. Whatever's the best batting or bowling line-up for the team is the one we'll go with. We're in touch with Gary, and he has a lot of experience with coaching. From what I've said to him he understands what our line-up is and how we're playing," Babar said.
"The time for rotation is now a bit late because the World Cup is upon us. The matches we've got left, we'll try to give a run out to the players and combination we want to have for the World Cup."
Pakistan's tour of Ireland starts with the opening T20I on Friday, May 10 at the Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin.
2024-05-06T17:27:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd