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Haris Rauf makes a change in Pakistan's dismal BBL show with late wickets for Melbourne Stars

Sakshi Sharma

Haris Rauf in BBL (Source: @ArxySays,x.com)Haris Rauf in BBL (Source: @ArxySays,x.com)

Melbourne Stars began their Big Bash League (BBL) Season 15 campaign on Thursday, December 18, taking on defending champions Hobart Hurricanes. The Stars, still searching for their maiden BBL title, is playing their first match of the season, while the Hurricanes came in with confidence after winning their opening game against the Sydney Thunder.

Melbourne Stars won the bat flip and chose to bowl first. All eyes were on Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf, who made his return to the BBL after missing last season due to the Pakistan Cricket Board denying him an NOC.

Haris Rauf strikes twice in a row!

Haris Rauf’s start was not ideal, as he struggled with his initial overs and conceded runs without taking any wickets. However, the experienced pacer showed his class at the death. The ace pacer ended with figures of two wickets for 33 runs in four overs, bowling at an economy rate of 8.25.

The turning point came in the 18th over, where Rauf struck twice in consecutive deliveries. First, he dismissed Chris Jordan with a clever slower ball. Jordan misread the pace while trying to hit over mid-off and ended up offering a simple catch to Campbell Kellaway.

On the very next ball, Rauf removed Hobart Hurricanes captain Nathan Ellis for a golden duck. Rauf delivered a full ball angled towards the leg stump. Ellis backed away and tried to force the shot, but completely mistimed it. Kellaway produced a stunning forward-diving catch at mid-off, completing a spectacular moment and putting Rauf on a hat-trick.

Though Rauf did not dominate from the start, his late burst highlighted his value as a death-overs specialist. It is important to note that Haris Rauf has finally ended the poor show Pakistan players have put on in the BBL so far. Neither Babar Azam nor Shahid Afridi has performed well so far.

Ben McDermott dominates with bat

Batting first, Hobart Hurricanes made 158 runs in their allotted 20 overs. With the bat, the Hurricanes did not have a decent start, and the opener failed miserably. But in the middle, Ben McDermott provided some relief with the bat and made 69 runs off 52 balls at the strike rate of 132.69. 

He was well-supported by Tim David and made 31 runs in 31 balls. At the time of writing this article, MLS needs 159 runs to win this match.