‘Everyone just sits and waits for Pakistan team to lose’– Haris Rauf slams critics after 2nd T20I loss

Haris Rauf, a pacer, has expressed his unwavering support for young Pakistani top-order batsmen by asking everyone to allow them more time to develop and not make snap judgments about them after only one or two games. Notably, in an attempt to determine the best combination moving ahead, the visitors experimented with rearranging their batting order.

For the T20I series against New Zealand, players like Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan were kept off the roster. Thus, the Green Shirts added Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz as top-order batsmen. Irfan Khan was ranked number four. Even with the adjustments, the approach backfired badly since in the opening two games of the current series, the entire hitting lineup was unable to get going. Rauf gave insight into the young hitters’ and the team’s overall performance following their second loss.

“You mention criticism, and I believe that it has spread throughout Pakistan. They are young athletes. You can visit any team or location in the globe, and they allow the kids complete freedom. They make care to offer the young players 10 to 15 games at a time if they give them a chance. After losing in Dunedin, Rauf was cited as stating, “That’s how they become players.”

“When starting out in international cricket, everyone faces difficulties. You discuss criticism; it’s commonplace now. Everyone simply waits for the Pakistani team to lose so they can discuss it. They may have different views, but our goal is to strengthen our team. The elderly are also present, and we are attempting to enlist the younger generation. As seniors, we encourage our juniors and provide them advice on what it takes to be successful in international cricket. It will be better for them if they learn more quickly,” the 31-year-old continued.

Haris Rauf on Pakistan’s poor performance: “When we try things, there will be failures.”

Talking about the game, express pacer Haris Rauf had a respectable performance, taking two wickets in his allotted three overs while scoring 20 runs. When Shaheen Afridi did bowl a maiden, he was pummeled all over the park by New Zealand, which proved costly. He ended up letting 31 runs slip during his bowling session.

Mohammad Ali, a bowler, was also destroyed after conceding 34 runs in two overs. Notably, the second Twenty20 International was shortened to a 15-over-a-side match because of the weather.

Even if the team’s performance has declined recently, Haris Rauf acknowledged that the Green Shirts are going through a transitional phase and will only get better from here to compete with the major teams soon.

“Our cricket game has definitely deteriorated. However, as a team, we are attempting to create a combination and play cricket that is necessary at the highest level. We are experimenting; failures will occur, but we will gain knowledge. And one day you’ll be able to watch the Pakistani squad play excellent cricket,” Rauf said.