Haris Rauf To Be Dropped? Rizwan Has 3 Reasons To Replace Star Player Vs Bangladesh

Why Haris Rauf should be dropped [Source: AP Photo]

The inevitable has happened and Pakistan are almost out of the Champions Trophy with a game still to be played in the group stage. Right from the start, Pakistan had a timid approach and it backfired as the batters struggled for runs and the bowlers leaked easy runs as India sealed a 6-wicket win.

A target of 242 was never going to trouble the Indian batters, but the Pakistan bowlers made it easy for the opposition as they were erratic with their lines and lengths and allowed the batters to score freely. One of the Pakistan bowlers, Haris Rauf, looked lacklustre as the Indian batters found it easy to tackle him.

Pakistan's last group stage match will be against Bangladesh and captain Mohammad Rizwan should take a bold call to drop the out of form pacer and here's why.

1) The average numbers don't lie

Haris Rauf's recent ODI numbers (since ZIM tour)

He was excellent in the ODIs Vs Australia, but since then it has been a downfall for the Pakistan pacer. As the stats suggests, in 8 matches since the Aussie tour, he has picked up just 6 wickets, with a strike-rate that is nearly 57.

The numbers are not at all promising for someone who is a leader of the bowling attack and hence, Rauf should be dropped and Pakistan should go bold and try out Mohammad Hasnain in the playing XI.

2) Hasn't been the same since the injury

Haris suffered from a serious injury during the tri-nation series Vs New Zealand and since then, he hasn't been the same bowler.

In 2 matches in the Champions Trophy, Rauf has lacked the pace to trouble the opposition batters and has only picked up 2 wickets in the Champions Trophy at an economy of almost 8.

He has lacked the rhythm and that was evident during the India clash and was taken to the cleaners as the Men in Blue won the match easily.

3) Lacked the execution to deliver on Dubai Pitch

When India came out to bat and when Rauf came to bowl, the pitch was not the easiest to bat on, but the Pakistan seamer made it easy for Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer as he kept on giving pace on deliveries, meaning that Indian batters had an easy time against him.

This was contrasting to the Indian bowlers, who bowled 25% off pace deliveries which restricted the scoring rate. Rauf has played so much cricket at this venue, but despite that, he lacked the execution to take wickets. He hardly bowled any slower deliveries and became a predictable bowler for the batters,

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