Haris Rauf relishing the challenge of bowling with the new ball 

Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf said bowling with the new ball was a challenge for him following his team's victory over the Netherlands on Thursday (August 18).

Haris Rauf after celebrating a wicket [PC: Twitter]

Pakistan thrashed the Netherlands by seven wickets with more than 16 overs to spare in the second ODI at Hazelaarweg Cricket Stadium to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. 

Batting first, the home side were off to a dismal start as they lost three wickets for a mere eight runs in the third over, courtesy of the newly formed pace duo of Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. Netherlands couldn't recover from the early blow and eventually end up with 186 on the board. Rauf starred with the ball, picking three crucial wickets to restrict the hosts to a below-par total.

In the first ODI of the ongoing series, he struggled a bit to get his line right but in the second game, he was right on the money from the first ball.

Bowling with the new ball is something that Rauf has not done regularly in his career.

He rose to fame as a death bowler after his exceptional performances in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the Big Bash League (BBL), and later, he was included in the national team for the T20 World Cup 2021, where he made a name for himself.

Commenting on his new role in the team, the Rawalpindi-born cricketer said:

“Previously I used to bowl with a slightly old ball, but I bowled with a new ball in the series against Australia and here as well. It was a new challenge for me and I was trying to utilize it effectively.” 

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