'Went on a tour with Haris Rauf, he wanted to do something for Pakistan' - Ahmed Shehzad extols star pacer after Adelaide heroics
"He was hurt, very hurt with Pakistan's defeats, the drop in the rankings, and also the loss against Bangladesh," Ahmed Shehzad said.
Haris Rauf's fiery spell of fast bowling in the second ODI between Pakistan and Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Friday, November 8, orchestrated a memorable win for the visitors as they drew level in the three-match series.
Rauf finished with excellent figures of 5/29 in eight overs as the Men in Green bowled out the six-time ODI World Cup champions for just 163 in 35 overs. Pakistan chased down the paltry target inside 27 overs, with nine wickets in the bank. Rauf was fittingly adjudged Player of the Match for his game-changing performance.
After the speedster's heroic efforts in Adelaide, former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad recalled his interaction with him during a fundraiser in the USA. Shehzad claimed that Rauf was disappointed with Pakistan's insipid performances across formats in international cricket, including their embarrassing Test series whitewash against Bangladesh at home. The cricketer-turned-expert said that Rauf wanted to do something for the Asian giants.
"Now Pakistan has a letter in the name of 'Bare me hirbani' win this series. Haris Rauf. Gun. I went on a tour with Haris Rauf, USA. We were in the USA in the fundraising business. And there I had a personal conversation with him," Shehzad said in a video he uploaded on his 'X' handle.
"He was hurt, very hurt with Pakistan's defeats, the drop in the rankings, and also the loss against Bangladesh. After that, from his face it was visible that he wanted to do something for Pakistan.
He wanted to win matches for Pakistan and he was admitting all these things," he added.
Haris Rauf is not running away from Test cricket: Ahmed Shehzad
Shehzad also quashed reports suggesting that Rauf is unwilling to play Test cricket. The 32-year-old said that Rauf will return to the red-ball arena in the upcoming matches and it will be a huge boost for the Shan Masood-led side.
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"The good thing is that what we heard about him that he is trying to run away from Test cricket, there is nothing like that. We will see Haris Rauf in the upcoming matches as well. And in this form, Haris Rauf is available for Pakistan. This is gold. We want Haris Rauf and his bowlers in this form and consistently," concluded Shehzad.
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