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No Haris Rauf Vs India In Asia Cup: Is It End Of The Road For Pakistan Ace In T20Is?

Anurag Dasgupta

End of the road for Rauf? [Source: AFP Photo] End of the road for Rauf? [Source: AFP Photo]

Pakistan sprung a surprise as they once again omitted Haris Rauf from their playing XI for the Asia Cup clash vs India. In the high-octane contest, Pakistan went in with an unchanged XI from their previous clash vs Oman, and the decision to once again leave out Rauf was a baffling one from the team.

Rauf didn’t feature in the Tri-series finale against Afghanistan and was also dropped from Pakistan’s Asia Cup opener, and as a result, a general question has arisen - is it the end of the road for Rauf?

Why it could be the end of the road for Rauf?

The fast bowler played just two games in the T20I tri-nation series and picked up 4 wickets as he wreaked havoc in the matches he played in. However, there was one greyish area in his performance, and that was his economy rate.

Despite picking 4 wickets, his economy rate stood at 10.10, which showcased that batters weren’t afraid of taking him to the cleaners. This was not the only series where Rauf looked a bit out of touch.

In the series against the West Indies and Bangladesh, Rauf had an economy rate of 9.38, and 11.80, respectively. While his teammates were economical, Rauf was taken apart by the opposition, and this was one factor why Pakistan dropped him from their Asia Cup XI.

Pakistan preferring Shaheen over Rauf

Rauf is the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in T20Is, and despite his staggering numbers, Pakistan have preferred Shaheen Afridi over him. While Rauf has 124 T20I scalps, Shaheen has 109 wickets to his name. However, it seems PCB have lost faith in Rauf due to his higher economy rate.

Conditions forced Pakistan to drop Rauf

The economy rate was one reason for dropping him, but Pakistan is also looking at the conditions in the UAE. The Dubai surface is generally favourable towards the spinners, and Pakistan has decided to go in with a spin-heavy attack. The trick worked vs Afghanistan in the tri-series final, and also worked wonders vs Oman.

Hence, despite being fit, Pakistan decided to go in with Shaheen as the lone pacer, despite the fact that Rauf has better numbers vs India. Maybe the end is still a bit far away for Rauf, but the playing XI selection indicates that Rauf may not be in the scheme of things for Pakistan in T20Is.