'Untidy Extras': Haris Rauf Recounts Pakistan's Misfortune In MCG After 1st ODI Loss

Haris Rauf recounts MCG horrors as Pakistan lose first ODI vs Australia [Source: @56_71_Stan/X.com]

Following Pakistan's 2-wicket loss against Australia in the first ODI held at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Haris Rauf admitted that extra runs from bowlers and untidy fielding ruined Pakistan's fightback. Rauf also acknowledged that failing at MCG is becoming a concerning trend for Pakistan cricket.

New captain but same old woes for Pakistan cricket team as they lost the first ODI against Australia by a marginal 2-wicket difference at MCG. While defending 204, Pakistan fought back with three quick wickets of Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell as Australia went from 139/3 to 139/6 in no time. 

Haris Rauf's dual strike in the 21st over left Australia reeling, with Sean Abbott's lazy run-out only adding to the challenge. However, captain Pat Cummins' 32 off 31 resistance guided the Aussies to a close-shave victory.

Besides Cummins' heroics, Pakistani bowlers shot themselves in the foot by leaking 21 extra runs. Rauf himself bowled 10 wides, and Naseem Shah and Hasnain also accounted for 7 wides.

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Haris Rauf calls out Pakistan's sloppiness 

According to ESPNCricinfo, following the defeat, Haris Rauf admitted that Pakistan was untidy on the field, and it's the cost one has to bear for playing aggressive cricket. 

"We did give away extras but when you attack, you have to accept that these things happen. We did make mistakes, and we were a bit untidy. We know these little things make an impact. If you're a good bowling unit, then you can cover the batters falling 20-30 runs short if you tighten up in the field as well. We could have defended this and we all tried really hard. The game didn't go our way, but we gave no quarter in terms of our energy and our effort."

Notably, this is Pakistan's third significant loss at MCG after getting hammered by Virat Kohli in T20 World Cup 2022 followed by a 5-wicket defeat in the finals against England. Rauf acknowledged that MCG horrors are something Pakistan cannot shy away from. However, the focus is to improve the present as the past and future are beyond anyone's control.

"We have memories on this ground which we remember. We lost a couple of very close matches here against India and the World Cup final. We've made mistakes in the past, but we try to stay in the present moment. The future isn't in our control either, and we are enjoying the present. Sometimes the result doesn't go your way, and you have to accept that. And you then try and learn from those failures," he added.

With Australia in 1-0 lead, the ODI series will resume on November 8 as the second contest is scheduled at Oval Stadium in Adelaide.

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