Haris Rauf: The Trump card of Pakistan


image-l94av7jsHaris Rauf (PC: Twitter)

From a rookie to a maestro, the rise of Haris Rauf has been exceptional, to say the least. The fiery fast bowler graduated through the ranks to finally fulfil his dream of representing Pakistan on the highest level. And since being made a regular, Rauf has established himself as a vital cog in the Pakistani bowling lineup.

In the absence of star speedster Shaheen Afridi, Rauf led the Pakistan pace battery to perfection in the Asia Cup 2022. His influential returns, both with the new and old ball, helped Pakistan make their way into the final in the multinational affair. 

Now, with the T20 World Cup coming up, the Men in Green have set high hopes for the pacer. So how good has Rauf been, and what should we expect from him in the World Cup? Let's analyse and find out. 

Rauf: Pakistan's saviour in the death overs

His brute pace and ability to hit the deck hard and nail yorkers at will make Haris Rauf a tricky customer, even for the best finishers, in the slog overs. 

Statistically, Rauf has scalped 30 wickets at a decent economy of 8.38 in the death overs in T20Is since 2021. More importantly, his dot ball percentage, which was 35.6 in 2021, reads 42.1 this year. This data indicates his astounding success in choking the opposition with his pace and accuracy in the slog overs. 

We can understand Rauf's death-bowling exploits in a better way if we compare his performance to those of his teammates in this period.

Pakistan seamers in death overs since 2021: 

Haris Rauf: 58.2 overs, 30 wickets, eco: 8.38, Dot percentage: 38.3, Bpb: 5.83 
Naseem Shah: 7 overs, 1 wicket, eco: 10.43, dot percentage: 38.1, Bpb: 3.81
Shaheen Afridi: 33 overs, 16 wickets, eco: 8.42, Dot percentage: 44.9, Bpb: 5.35 
Shahnawaz Dahani: 8.2 overs, 1 wicket, eco: 11.40, Dot percentage: 26, Bpb: 3.84
Mohammad Wasim Jr: 17.2 overs, 8 wickets, eco: 8.71, Dot percentage: 41.3, Bpb: 6.11 

Although Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Wasim Jr have better dot percentages, their overall economy rates are higher than that of Rauf. Also, Rauf has maintained such a brilliant record after bowling many more overs than his teammates. So, it's pretty clear that Pakistan will trust him the most in the death overs in the showpiece event. 

Rauf's impact in the powerplay

Rauf has been used primarily in the death overs, but his performance in the powerplay has also been incredible. 

Here's what the stats say

Haris Rauf in Powerplay in 2022: 24 overs, 9 wickets, SR: 16, eco: 7.33, Dot percentage: 50, Balls per boundary: 5.53 

Thus, he has also been a regular Wicket-taker with the new ball. 

What to expect from Rauf in Australia?

As I have mentioned earlier, Rauf's ability to hit the deck hard with a rollicking pace makes him a lethal weapon for Australian conditions. As he has revealed in an interview, he will target the batters' bodies and challenge them to hit across the line in the World Cup. If he does this to perfection, he will be the hardest bowler to score against, even for the bests in business. 

Also, Rauf has plenty of bowling experience in Australia, as he has participated in the Big Bash League with utmost success. So, considering his form and experience, we expect the seamer to amuse us with his flaming thunderbolts and eventually emerge as Pakistan's MVP with the ball during the course of the tournament. 


Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022: 5 marquee players who might fail