[VIDEOS] Haris Rauf is being over-rated

[Mamoon]

Someone in the match thread called him a rock thrower. I don’t if there is such a thing but I find that description very apt.

He just has a fast arm and nothing else. He just runs in and throws rocks at the batsmen with no thought process.

He has no plan, no awareness of match situation, no awareness of the field.

He looks and plays like a tape ball bowler and that is what he is.

I also find his action susceptible. I think he is a chucker. If I were an umpire I would be reporting him.

[shaz619]

Someone in the match thread called him a rock thrower. I don’t if there is such a thing but I find that description very apt.

He just has a fast arm and nothing else. He just runs in and throws rocks at the batsmen with no thought process.

He has no plan, no awareness of match situation, no awareness of the field.

He looks and plays like a tape ball bowler and that is what he is.

I also find his action susceptible. I think he is a chucker. If I were an umpire I would be reporting him.

I don’t see anything special in this bloke but am surprised by how he took so many wickets in the BBL, a tournie I rate after the Natwest Blast

[Mamoon]

I don’t see anything special in this bloke but am surprised by how he took so many wickets in the BBL, a tournie I rate after the Natwest Blast

BBL is a low budget league. The only reason they are recruiting tape ball bowlers like him and Dilbar is because they don’t have the budget to recruit the best fast bowlers in the world.

CA doesn’t care much about the standard of BBL. It just a little side venture to make money. It is not the focal point of its domestic cricket. It clearly doesn’t mean as much to CA and IPL does to BCCI and PSL does to PCB.

Even the high profile Australian players don’t care much about it and go through the motions just to get some match practice.

[shaz619]

BBL is a low budget league. The only reason they are recruiting tape ball bowlers like him and Dilbar is because they don’t have the budget to recruit the best fast bowlers in the world.

CA doesn’t care much about the standard of BBL. It just a little side venture to make money. It is not the focal point of its domestic cricket. It clearly doesn’t mean as much to CA and IPL does to BCCI and PSL does to PCB.

Even the high profile Australian players don’t care much about it and go through the motions just to get some match practice.

The BBL itself is of a very high quality beyond the overseas talent pool, the Aussies have some terrific local talent and their fielding among domestic leagues is arguably the best, having said that Rauf may have just been a one series wonder and with support from the high calibre domestic talent, may have maximised his output but I still find it interesting the success she had

[Thunderbolt14]

His action is no different from Jasprit Bumrah’s or Shoaib Akhtar’s. Call him a rock thrower but don’t call him a chucker.

He has all the skills he needs to be successful, and the reason he had a successful BBL was because him and Maxwell used his skills smartly. Similarly, he elevated his performances under Shadab at Northern, and now in New Zealand, because he still needs support from the captain with field placements and which delivery to bowl when.

This is a product of him having spent a lifetime playing tape ball cricket, with zero first class experience. Unfortunately, the only place he has been able to learn has been on the job, with the Qalandars, then the Stars, and now for the national team.

However, as said before, the skills are all there. He is growing in confidence and learning more about how to read a batsman - one season of first class cricket will solve this, but he is also a quick learner and already doing well for the national team.

His pace and natural length worked against him on the small New Zealand grounds, but his bowling style is perfect for subcontinental conditions as well as Australia. He’s quick through the air off a short runup, surprises batsmen, can hit the deck if need be, consistent with his yorkers, can swing the ball both ways, and has a slower one that’s difficult to pick.

He’s very good.

[Pacy with wisdom]

Someone in the match thread called him a rock thrower. I don’t if there is such a thing but I find that description very apt.

He just has a fast arm and nothing else. He just runs in and throws rocks at the batsmen with no thought process.

He has no plan, no awareness of match situation, no awareness of the field.

He looks and plays like a tape ball bowler and that is what he is.

I also find his action susceptible. I think he is a chucker. If I were an umpire I would be reporting him.

Even if one tries to entertain your view on him on the most abstract of debates, that he doesn't know how to plan for wickets, his very apparent skillset can not be debated.
Yet, you dismiss that by coming up with your agenda based buffoonery.

The fact that you find his action suspect puts the final nail in the coffin on your judgement's validity because he has absolutely no straightening of the elbow; not even hyperextension.

His body is packed full of fast twitch fibre muscles and he is built like a spring. He produces all that pace from his shoulder alone, imagine if he gets his short strides sorted out and builds more momentum to the crease.

Stop talking about things you have no clue about.
A guy who finds no appeal in fast bowling and thinks of it as labour, is the last guy to be educating everyone about it.

[Hasan123]

He is fine for T20s.

[Saj]

4 overs for 44 for Shaheens versus Northern Districts.

Ouch.

[sshakir411]

Aggression. Pace. Flare. Not worth it all. Needs years of domestic games to establish serious skill. Bad bouncer, bad Yorker, horrible friggin length.

[Madplayer]

I know it would sound crazy to most posters but i would give him a chance in tests.

I know i know. Even i dont rate him very highly but amid all the trash that he bowls, he does have the ability to bowl wicket taking deliveries periodically which is what Pakistan needs in tests. He could be the enforcer. If he gives figures like 15 overs 75-4, i will take it.

[MenInG]

The stand-out performer with the ball for Pakistan in T20Is in 2020 - Haris Rauf:

Matches 11
Wickets 16
Strike-rate 16.10#Cricket pic.twitter.com/WAoeyOWR58

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) December 31, 2020

[Saj]

I do worry about him at times.

There's a bit of Mohammad Sami in his bowling - just runs in, bowls, doesn't think who the batsman is, or think about conditions or where his field is set.

[Mamoon]

Awful bowler. No match-awareness, no field-awareness.

This is what happens when you pick players off the streets.

As I said before, we like to learn things the hard way. We won’t realize that he is not cut for this level unless he loses Pakistan a few high profile matches.

[Firebat]

Haris gets the wicket of the South African captain at a crucial point in the innings.

[Extreme Pace]

Really stupid bowler, kept bowling short on a slow pitch and getting hammered. Got lucky with that wicket, against a full strength batting line up, he will always have a ER of 10+

[Firebat]

Rauf gets his 2nd wicket of the game:

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Both wickets were almost 6's, even those got deliveries got a battering. He was rubbish today, but maybe we can excuse this time because of the dew factor if we are being generous.

[Line and Length]

We’d be better off with Hasan right now to be honest. Especially in Asian conditions, there’s no real need for Haris Rauf. His two wickets weren’t good deliveries and I thought Shaheen bowled a lot better than him today, but was unlucky not to pick up any wickets.

[mazkhan]

Definitely dip in performances from new Zealand got smashed for shaheens ,looked innocuous in bbl

[Artaxerxes]

Haris Rauf gets carried away.He can bowl quick but his line and length is not good.He should play more domestic cricket and improve his bowling.

[UzmanBeast]

Awful bowler. No match-awareness, no field-awareness.

This is what happens when you pick players off the streets.

As I said before, we like to learn things the hard way. We won’t realize that he is not cut for this level unless he loses Pakistan a few high profile matches.

Field awareness is the first factor that makes me want to see him out of the playing XI. Both him and Wahab Riaz have the same problem, the field is set for an yorker on the off side and these two will bowl a slower-ball in the slot for no reason. When he conceded those 4 boundaries in the over, I was genuinely confused. You've got about 3 men on the off-side, and you choose to bowl down the leg side, giving easy runs. What's even more confusing is that he sets the field but then doesn't bowl to it. That's like buying a TV and then using your Nokia flip-phone to stream a live match. It defies all logic, and what's worse is how Haris somehow manages to pick up wickets, and all his ******* go berserk saying how good he is and whatnot. Giving him the new ball is a waste, he's too inconsistent to be trusted in the death, it sounds like we have another Wahab Riaz in the mix right here. If we take him to the T20 World Cup, this guy is gonna be the Mohammad Sami from 2016, no line, no length, just pace.

Similarly, what makes me confused is why someone like Hasnain isn't playing.

Rauf, if most posters here don't already know, is 27 years of age, add 2 to that to make it more legitimate. He's on the wrong side of 20 to be taught new tricks. Hasnain is a better choice, he's by no means perfect but has improved considerably in a small period of time. He's express pace as well but at least has more of a brain when it comes to bowling lines and lengths, as demonstrated on the New Zealand tour.

Haris Rauf reminds me of Russian Roulette, sometimes you get lucky and he takes a few wickets, but other times, he brings the opposition right into the game.

[Ahmed_99]

He needs to perform well in the remaining matches and PSL. I liked him but he seems too erratic when he's playing now.

Might just be me, but I feel like in the international stage, he finds it hard to handle pressure. I know he's had a couple of decent performances but he doesn't seem to inspire much confidence in me.

[Third Man]

Babar Azam might get fed up with him quite soon. He's a stupid bowler, and if he keeps this up, i.e, bowling with no knowledge of where his fielders are, I think Babar might pull the trigger on him.

[shamaan]

We’d be better off with Hasan right now to be honest. Especially in Asian conditions, there’s no real need for Haris Rauf. His two wickets weren’t good deliveries and I thought Shaheen bowled a lot better than him today, but was unlucky not to pick up any wickets.

Hassan played back to back test matches proberly reason why he isnt playing

[Bullet Drive]

Waqar Younis has ruined yet another bowler.

Go watch Haris Rauf bowl in 2019 Pakistan One Day Cup.

Was bowling 145kph and swinging the new ball.

Now he bowls short with the new ball, doesn't even let it swing.

[Sher Khan]

This guy is one of the worst bowlers I have ever seen. Zero match awareness, zero game sense, and a complete lack of skills. He pitched the ball in the exact same spot and Malan smashed him for four consecutive fours.

I was worried he will lose Pakistan the match when he bowled the third last over. Lucky his shoulder saved those 3 runs.

[BakuGM]

Why is he being preferred over Hasnain? I just don't understand the reasoning of these so called team management....

[moghul]

What else you expect from a guy who has not played even any club cricket and playing international cricket.

[shah_1]

He has no game awareness, completely clueless.

[ChTab]

This guy is so pathetic, can we get rid of him & give chances to Hassnain who seems like he is improving all the time.

[ChTab]

We shouldn't consider him for WT20 in India he will single-handedly lose us multiple games in India

[BunnyRabbit]

Just don't have any good vibe about him.

Has an attitude problem.
Is an awful fielder
Never bothers to put effort while fielding
No improvement since debut.
Doesn't look 27.(is atleast 30+)


So many negatives for him. If only our management could give the same amount of chances to some other deserving player. Hasnain would probably have a higher match iq than him and has some decent outswing as well. And is younger than him.

Shaheen, Hasan Ali, Hasnain, Waqas Maqsood and Rumman (if he overcomes his injuries) should be rotated while keeping an eye on the workloads of Shaheen and Hasan as these two are the only international quality bowlers we have as of now.

[NoBallZombie]

For any bowler, the starting point is the raw material the guy has. He certainly has the pace and the ability to rush batsmen. However, one chronic issue with pakistan players is the lack of cricketing intelligence. Some players are smart and they learn it on their own. Others (e.g Mohammad Sami, Rauf etc) are not able to and unfortunately mentors like Waqar are not good enough to teach them the tricks of the trade.

[shamaan]

Needs to come back with a strong perfroamance after his poor show in the first t20

[Firebat]

Leaking runs right from ball 1. In a low scoring game, this bowling is criminal.

Can this guy bowl a little leg spin instead?

[Extreme Pace]

Why he is in the team even after the last game is beyond me.

[Shaddy86]

Leaking runs right from ball 1. In a low scoring game, this bowling is criminal.

Can this guy bowl a little leg spin instead?

Ball 0.

[Sher Khan]

Worst bowler I have seen in a long time. Cannot watch him bowl at all.

[Prince of Pakistan]

He is another Wahab Riaz.

Very good in the death overs. He is constantly being used in the wrong role by Pak management.

If you need a new bowl bowler, then do not play Rauf!!

[saeedhk]

He is a horrible bowler. No sting in his bowling; a total liability.

[PerfectionPersonified]

poor mgmt of his bowling, he is tape bowl bowler which means good at death overs.

[RickyG]

He might be the worst bowler I’ve ever seen. This quick bowlers work in the psl because our guys aren’t very good at playing pace. But in international cricket no chance. He’s playing because of his Lahore/central Punjab connections and because waqar loves him.

[RickyG]

He is another Wahab Riaz.

Very good in the death overs. He is constantly being used in the wrong role by Pak management.

If you need a new bowl bowler, then do not play Rauf!!

You’re right. His best role would be as far away from the international team as possible. He’s trash.

[shah_1]

He makes Wahab Riaz look like Malcom Marshall in comparisom

[TeymurBlake]

If he wants to be a formidable bowler for Pakistan, then he needs a lot of work and support.

[Saj]

His figures so far in the T20I series against South Africa:

6-70-2

Clueless bowling and not appreciating where his fielders were placed.

[Mamoon]

Those scorecards are just fantasy and not reality.

He always had the outswinger, right from his tape ball days.
He was just never given the new ball to showcase it at this level.

The reality is about to end after the brilliant showcasing of new ball skills.

[Hasan123]

Even if one tries to entertain your view on him on the most abstract of debates, that he doesn't know how to plan for wickets, his very apparent skillset can not be debated.
Yet, you dismiss that by coming up with your agenda based buffoonery.

The fact that you find his action suspect puts the final nail in the coffin on your judgement's validity because he has absolutely no straightening of the elbow; not even hyperextension.

His body is packed full of fast twitch fibre muscles and he is built like a spring. He produces all that pace from his shoulder alone, imagine if he gets his short strides sorted out and builds more momentum to the crease.

Stop talking about things you have no clue about.
A guy who finds no appeal in fast bowling and thinks of it as labour, is the last guy to be educating everyone about it.

The only one who doesn't have a clue is you. He is not good enough.

[Sherlock]

Reminds me of Shinwari, more precisely the Shinwari in the latter part of his Pakistan career.

No tactics just vibes.

[Titan24]

Club level bowling today and management also deserves the blame for bowling his two overs in the powerplay as he clearly doesnt have the consistency yet to ball with the new ball.

A lot to improve, disappointing stuff in last two matches.

[Mesozoic]

It was only a matter of time.

Just like it was for Musa....

Just like it was for Naseem...

Now onto the next one....

Most likely Dilbar Hussain....

[Ummii]

Hasnain could be a better choice not sure why Management ignoring him while he did perform better than Rauf.

[Abdullah719]

He just doesn’t have the control with the new ball. Career econ is 9+ in the PP, 7.xx in the middle overs, and around 8.5ish at the death (which is pretty decent). Besides the technical aspects that need to be worked on, the management has got to stop making him bowl in the powerplay. He isn’t a particularly good wicket-taking option upfront either. Better use him in the middle and death.

[Pacy with wisdom]

It is easy to rip into him without understanding what the issue is.
More than poor thought process, it is his lack of execution that is the problem.

Any bowler who doesn't execute well will be taken apart, no matter how clever he is.

There are a number of reasons for this, and i will try to shed light on that when i get the time.

[Flat_Track_Bully]

As leaky as Wahab.

[Savak]

He's not that speedy either 136 km/hr

[angrypathan]

It is easy to rip into him without understanding what the issue is.
More than poor thought process, it is his lack of execution that is the problem.

Any bowler who doesn't execute well will be taken apart, no matter how clever he is.

There are a number of reasons for this, and i will try to shed light on that when i get the time.

No matter what the issue is, if a bowler is not producing results he will be ripped into.

[shah_1]

Haris Rauf is one of the worst bowler to represent Pakistan. I was rignt when I called him Galli Mohalla level bowler.

[Thunderbolt14]

He just doesn’t have the control with the new ball. Career econ is 9+ in the PP, 7.xx in the middle overs, and around 8.5ish at the death (which is pretty decent). Besides the technical aspects that need to be worked on, the management has got to stop making him bowl in the powerplay. He isn’t a particularly good wicket-taking option upfront either. Better use him in the middle and death.

Only person doing a sensible analysis here. The person who needs to be ripped into here is Misbah (and Waqar, as well as Babar) for using Rauf in the powerplay.

I never had the stats but I’ve been saying for a while that Rauf has always been most effective in the middle overs and at the death. That’s how Glenn Maxwell used him in the BBL. With his pace and inaccuracy he is not suited to the power-play field restrictions.

Rauf, when selected, was selected as a middle overs and death bowler. He is now being used in the powerplay where he regularly gives 20 runs in 2 overs, some of them from mishits using the pace and some of them genuine smacks that would otherwise have been harder to execute with fielders stationed in the outfield.

It is the equivalent of bowling Wahab Riaz in the powerplay. Not going to work.

[Babar_Azam_fan]

He’s fit for one thing, screaming out of his lungs.
Never rated him, glad he’s exposed badly. It’s high time Hasnain comes in the playing 11, and Wahab in the squad in place of Rauf

[saeedhk]

The blame lies on Pakistani fans, media and the PSL. First we hyped up Naseem then Musa and now Rauf. All these two-bit were touted ad the next batch of great fast bowlers. All three turned out to be duds.

[Mamoon]

Only person doing a sensible analysis here. The person who needs to be ripped into here is Misbah (and Waqar, as well as Babar) for using Rauf in the powerplay.

I never had the stats but I’ve been saying for a while that Rauf has always been most effective in the middle overs and at the death. That’s how Glenn Maxwell used him in the BBL. With his pace and inaccuracy he is not suited to the power-play field restrictions.

Rauf, when selected, was selected as a middle overs and death bowler. He is now being used in the powerplay where he regularly gives 20 runs in 2 overs, some of them from mishits using the pace and some of them genuine smacks that would otherwise have been harder to execute with fielders stationed in the outfield.

It is the equivalent of bowling Wahab Riaz in the powerplay. Not going to work.

Also Thunderbolt14:

Haris Rauf - our next new ball bowler. Will partner Shaheen within the first 10 overs, and also at the death, for a long time.

Not taking shots at you and I do not intend any offense, but see this is the problem. If the fans can be clueless, so can the team management as well.

Everyone has been fooled by this tape ball hack. First it was the fans, and then it was the PowerPoint guy with a MacBook, and then it was Misbah/Waqar/Babar who thought he could ruffle the South African top-order with the new ball with his pace.

This “Rauf is a good death bowler and we are not using him correctly” drama will also end in tears.

It is the latest delusional assessment by fans who are not willing to accept the reality.

They emotionally invested in Rauf and fantasized about him having a great career for Pakistan and prove to be an aggressive, wicket-taking speedster, but that is not going to happen so now they are trying to salvage something out of the scraps.

This tape ball bowler does not belong in international cricket. The more he plays, the more he will get exposed. It is time to move on from him.

[shah_1]

If he can't bowl in the powerplay then he shouldn't play.

I would monitor Waqas Maqsood, Hussain, Hasan Ali and Arahad Iqbal with the new ball. Shaheen needs a new ball partner

[shah_1]

Also Thunderbolt14:



Not taking shots at you and I do not intend any offense, but see this is the problem. If the fans can be clueless, so can the team management as well.

Everyone has been fooled by this tape ball hack. First it was the fans, and then it was the PowerPoint guy with a MacBook, and then it was Misbah/Waqar/Babar who thought he could ruffle the South African top-order with the new ball with his pace.

This “Rauf is a good death bowler and we are not using him correctly” drama will also end in tears.

It is the latest delusional assessment by fans who are not willing to accept the reality.

They emotionally invested in Rauf and fantasized about him having a great career for Pakistan and prove to be an aggressive, wicket-taking speedster, but that is not going to happen so now they are trying to salvage something out of the scraps.

This tape ball bowler does not belong in international cricket. The more he plays, the more he will get exposed. It is time to move on from him.

Thunderbolt14 is the opposite version of yours. He is very optimistic about Pakistan cricket

[Thunderbolt14]

Also Thunderbolt14:



Not taking shots at you and I do not intend any offense, but see this is the problem. If the fans can be clueless, so can the team management as well.

Everyone has been fooled by this tape ball hack. First it was the fans, and then it was the PowerPoint guy with a MacBook, and then it was Misbah/Waqar/Babar who thought he could ruffle the South African top-order with the new ball with his pace.

This “Rauf is a good death bowler and we are not using him correctly” drama will also end in tears.

It is the latest delusional assessment by fans who are not willing to accept the reality.

They emotionally invested in Rauf and fantasized about him having a great career for Pakistan and prove to be an aggressive, wicket-taking speedster, but that is not going to happen so now they are trying to salvage something out of the scraps.

This tape ball bowler does not belong in international cricket. The more he plays, the more he will get exposed. It is time to move on from him.

It seems you’re keen on taking posts out of context. Glad you were able to find that - kindly put the quote in context of Rauf’s improving new ball skills which were being discussed in the thread — that doesn’t mean he’s ready yet, or ever will be. But he can be. That’s the difference between you and me.

I’m focused on the future, whereas you nitpick his ability by cherrypicking stats rather than looking at the holistic picture.



I’m sorry if these stats don’t fit with your narrative. And next time, maybe suggest an alternative new ball bowler for ODI cricket (not T20 as you might be able to discern) since I’m finding it difficult to find other new ball bowlers in the country right now.

Secondly, please directly say that you’re taking shots at me and other fans who choose to see the “who we have” and calling us delusional. There is nothing wrong with doing so, only it will require you to own up to more responsibility when making such accusations which I’m not certain you are willing to take.

I’ve read some of your older posts and I have to say I was impressed. Your current version is becoming somewhat of a shell of what it once was — maybe even a parody. It is time you did some introspection and realized that either the entire world is crazy or it is just you — if I am delusional to be optimistic, I am happy to be delusional. And I will continue to, as a fan, notice improvements and make hopeful statements with speculations as to the future of my team.

It is time you did the same — are you ready to accept that you are just as delusional in your pessimism as I am in my optimism?

[gazza619]

He was a far better bowler 6 months ago. Really dont know what has happened. Perhaps impact of Waqar Younus coaching.

[Mamoon]

It seems you’re keen on taking posts out of context. Glad you were able to find that - kindly put the quote in context of Rauf’s improving new ball skills which were being discussed in the thread — that doesn’t mean he’s ready yet, or ever will be. But he can be. That’s the difference between you and me.

I’m focused on the future, whereas you nitpick his ability by cherrypicking stats rather than looking at the holistic picture.



I’m sorry if these stats don’t fit with your narrative. And next time, maybe suggest an alternative new ball bowler for ODI cricket (not T20 as you might be able to discern) since I’m finding it difficult to find other new ball bowlers in the country right now.

Secondly, please directly say that you’re taking shots at me and other fans who choose to see the “who we have” and calling us delusional. There is nothing wrong with doing so, only it will require you to own up to more responsibility when making such accusations which I’m not certain you are willing to take.

I’ve read some of your older posts and I have to say I was impressed. Your current version is becoming somewhat of a shell of what it once was — maybe even a parody. It is time you did some introspection and realized that either the entire world is crazy or it is just you — if I am delusional to be optimistic, I am happy to be delusional. And I will continue to, as a fan, notice improvements and make hopeful statements with speculations as to the future of my team.

It is time you did the same — are you ready to accept that you are just as delusional in your pessimism as I am in my optimism?

There is no context here. You overestimated his ability with the new ball and the management did the same, so there is no point in criticizing them for trying him with the new ball.

They probably fell prey to the same belief that made you think that Rauf could be the new ball partner for Shaheen.

As I have said many times, these stats do not mean anything because they are established in low level cricket. BBL is a poor league, on par with PSL. Very few top line Australian cricketers take it seriously, and it doesn’t attract much contemporary overseas talent.

If Rauf plays IPL, he will get smashed like no tomorrow. Similarly, the more he plays against the top sides in international cricket, the worse he is going to look.

It is time to accept the reality - he will never been good enough for the top level. He plays like a tape ball bowler and that is all he is. He will soon fizzle out and will not have a long international career.

It is up to Rauf fans to blame Misbah, Waqar or whoever is in the firing line or simply accept that they were wrong about his potential and he was never good enough to begin with.

Either way, he is not going to have the career his fans are fantasizing about.

[Firebat]

The axe falls on Haris Rauf after some disastrous bowling in the first 2 T20I's. If he's not a T20 bowler, what is he?

[Nado_]

He may be ok in middle overs but i don’t recall him in internationals getting on top of the batsman or showing some skills apart from bowling at good pace. Hasnain definitely seems the more promising prospect

[iPakistani]

Mamoon is spot on, Haris Rauf is terrible.

[Thunderbolt14]

There is no context here. You overestimated his ability with the new ball and the management did the same, so there is no point in criticizing them for trying him with the new ball.

They probably fell prey to the same belief that made you think that Rauf could be the new ball partner for Shaheen.

As I have said many times, these stats do not mean anything because they are established in low level cricket. BBL is a poor league, on par with PSL. Very few top line Australian cricketers take it seriously, and it doesn’t attract much contemporary overseas talent.

If Rauf plays IPL, he will get smashed like no tomorrow. Similarly, the more he plays against the top sides in international cricket, the worse he is going to look.

It is time to accept the reality - he will never been good enough for the top level. He plays like a tape ball bowler and that is all he is. He will soon fizzle out and will not have a long international career.

It is up to Rauf fans to blame Misbah, Waqar or whoever is in the firing line or simply accept that they were wrong about his potential and he was never good enough to begin with.

Either way, he is not going to have the career his fans are fantasizing about.

1. There is a lot of context here. Regarding the new ball, there is a lot of difference between bowling with the new ball in ODI cricket and bowling in the powerplay in T20I cricket. Rauf has a decent outswinger, and even though he is no Wasim Akram the issue is we have no other new ball bowlers in the country. In T20Is, you can substitute this deficiency by bowling a spinner such as Imad or Nawaz in the powerplay, both of whom I know you rate (relative to other Pakistani players). Given that players are trying to get you away every other ball, if you bowl at 145+ clicks you are going to need to be a lot more accurate than in ODI cricket where you have a little extra time to get set in your lines and lengths.

2. Just because someone has the potential for something does not mean they will perform at that potential. You rate Haider Ali yet he is not performing these days, as you rate Shubman Gill who is unable to maintain form. I continue to rate them too - the difference between me and you though is that you have decent tolerance threshold for batsmen but a next to zero tolerance threshold for Pakistani bowlers in particular, probably owing to your hatred of our rich fast bowling culture and an obsessive compulsion to hold the contrarian opinion. It is simply an extreme jab at your ego that we have 150kph bowlers walking the streets, a claim I remember you making fun of 2 years ago. Now that that’s been proving wrong, you’ve shifted the goalposts as you tend to do and instead of making claims about speed, you’re shifting to name calling “rock thrower” and such because bashing their brains is easier to do.

My friend, no one’s stupid here. Everyone realizes that if you’ve been playing tape ball cricket until the age of 26 it is impossible that you will have developed an iota of game awareness or consistency. That is the truth of the matter and trust me no one is deluded about that. The problem is that while one of us is ready to acknowledge the raw skills, the beautiful pace he generates, and the wickets he can take in the middle overs and the death despite him never bowling much with a hard ball. If he begins to develop some game awareness, which is really not that difficult, he will be a handful. He is already a handful in the middle overs and at the death a I’ve indicated in my post earlier which you conveniently ignored. If he gets bashed in the powerplay, it is because he isn’t good enough in the powerplay which I am ready to accept. Are you ready to accept his performances in the middle overs and the death?

Whether or not he has the career his fans fantasize about, at least we can say that we saw a 150kph bowler who bowled with a short runup, quick action, hyperextension, the ability to swing the ball both ways, and a decent yorker, and supported him because he’s Pakistani. I will never really have respect for the likes of those who see brown skin and a beard and immediately look the other way. Speaking of which, how’s your xenophobic attitude towards Moeen Ali going?

[Firebat]

Haris Rauf comes in for Lahore's 2nd game of PSL6, and takes the wicket of Banton in his first over! Impactful arrival

[PakPremi]

Mamoon is spot on, Haris Rauf is terrible.

He cannot be half bad as some suggesting he is amongst tome too wicket takers of all players playing in last year or two. Captain just need to k ow when to bowl him. It was poor from Babar to bowl him in Power Play. So totally agree with Thunderbolt 14 analysis.

[zarak]

1. There is a lot of context here. Regarding the new ball, there is a lot of difference between bowling with the new ball in ODI cricket and bowling in the powerplay in T20I cricket. Rauf has a decent outswinger, and even though he is no Wasim Akram the issue is we have no other new ball bowlers in the country. In T20Is, you can substitute this deficiency by bowling a spinner such as Imad or Nawaz in the powerplay, both of whom I know you rate (relative to other Pakistani players). Given that players are trying to get you away every other ball, if you bowl at 145+ clicks you are going to need to be a lot more accurate than in ODI cricket where you have a little extra time to get set in your lines and lengths.

2. Just because someone has the potential for something does not mean they will perform at that potential. You rate Haider Ali yet he is not performing these days, as you rate Shubman Gill who is unable to maintain form. I continue to rate them too - the difference between me and you though is that you have decent tolerance threshold for batsmen but a next to zero tolerance threshold for Pakistani bowlers in particular, probably owing to your hatred of our rich fast bowling culture and an obsessive compulsion to hold the contrarian opinion. It is simply an extreme jab at your ego that we have 150kph bowlers walking the streets, a claim I remember you making fun of 2 years ago. Now that that’s been proving wrong, you’ve shifted the goalposts as you tend to do and instead of making claims about speed, you’re shifting to name calling “rock thrower” and such because bashing their brains is easier to do.

My friend, no one’s stupid here. Everyone realizes that if you’ve been playing tape ball cricket until the age of 26 it is impossible that you will have developed an iota of game awareness or consistency. That is the truth of the matter and trust me no one is deluded about that. The problem is that while one of us is ready to acknowledge the raw skills, the beautiful pace he generates, and the wickets he can take in the middle overs and the death despite him never bowling much with a hard ball. If he begins to develop some game awareness, which is really not that difficult, he will be a handful. He is already a handful in the middle overs and at the death a I’ve indicated in my post earlier which you conveniently ignored. If he gets bashed in the powerplay, it is because he isn’t good enough in the powerplay which I am ready to accept. Are you ready to accept his performances in the middle overs and the death?

Whether or not he has the career his fans fantasize about, at least we can say that we saw a 150kph bowler who bowled with a short runup, quick action, hyperextension, the ability to swing the ball both ways, and a decent yorker, and supported him because he’s Pakistani. I will never really have respect for the likes of those who see brown skin and a beard and immediately look the other way. Speaking of which, how’s your xenophobic attitude towards Moeen Ali going?

Great post mate. I think people that are ignorant about cricket just look at results. You are right when you say Rauf has some really impressive attributes: braced leg, hyperextension, upright seam with backspin. He has not been able to put this together because he is really daft. However, some posters like to look at outcomes and push their rather basic perspectives. It's good fun though

[Firebat]

Haris gets his 2nd wicket of the game, sends captain Sarfaraz on his way.

[Firebat]

Haris rips Cutting's middle stump out of the ground!

[Firebat]

3/38 from Haris, characteristically expensive but got some good wickets

[Suleiman]

Can’t hurt to keep persisting with him. He has the ingredients. Give him some chances and teach him how to think, Waqar could help him here.

[Firebat]

Haris rips Cutting's middle stump out of the ground!

The wicket ball:

[Line and Length]

He can pick as many wickets as he wants. In a crunch match, in the World Cup for example, you just cannot trust him to deliver the goods for us.