Haris Rauf for Pakistan (Source: AFP)
Pakistan are all set to start their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against Oman and have decided to bat first after winning the toss. They have gone with a spin-heavy attack and Shaheen Afridi is the only genuine pacer playing for them in this match.
Pakistan Opt For Spin-Heavy Attack In Dubai
As a result, Haris Rauf, one of Pakistan's star bowlers and a dependable asset in T20Is, has not been selected. Faheem Ashraf is the only second pacer in the Pakistan XI, and it is a decision Pakistan have taken keeping in mind the conditions on offer at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Thus, Haris Rauf has mainly missed out because Pakistan's management feels that they would not need a lot of overs from their pacers, and they can use their spinners even at the death if needed. Also, Haris Rauf, despite a four-fer against Afghanistan in the tri-series recently, leaked his runs at an economy rate of 10.10. He was also not effective in the series against West Indies before that, and thus Pakistan have decided to keep him waiting.
Spin Strategy Worked In The Tri-Series Final For Pakistan
Also, the same strategy of going with three spinners worked in the UAE tri-series final in the conditions that were quite similar to those in the Dubai. Also, Oman is not an experienced team with many power-hitters who can attack at the death, so Pakistan probably feel that their spinners can choke and knock down the opposition batters more quickly.
Haris Rauf might return for the next clash against India, where they would need a specialist death bowler. However, against a low-ranked team, the Men in Green have decided to follow the same pattern as India and are trying to attack with spinners.
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