LAHORE: Injured pacer Haris Rauf, who was part of the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9, said he does not play cricket to show off while stressing his drive to right the wrongs.
The 30-year-old is out of the tournament after dislocating his right shoulder while catching during a match against Karachi Kings earlier in PSL 9. While speaking in a video released by Lahore Qalandars, the pacer shed light on various aspects of his game.
“I don’t play cricket to show myself off. Sometimes results don’t go your way and I try to correct my mistakes.”
“Challenges keep coming in life; in-game performance can be up and down. There was a time when my performance did not live up to expectations, there were undoubtedly mistakes, but he will try not to repeat those mistakes,” he added.
Haris said his first priority is to get back on the field as soon as possible.
“I will try to be fully fit for the England series and the T20 World Cup. The team can also suffer because of a player’s injury.”
“I’ve never had an injury like this before, but injuries are part of the game. I’m more disappointed with my injury because not playing affects the results and the team has hopes for individuals as well,” he added.
Rauf revealed that when he was initially injured, it was quite painful and he could not sleep due to the pain. “Even if I stay out of the team, I play my role well. I give tips to the young pitchers in the team.”
Meanwhile, he praised captain Shaheen Afridi and manager Sameen Rana for their constant support during the injury.
“During the injury, the players and captain Shaheen gave a lot.
“Sameen Rana has been very supportive. It boosts morale in tough times and it also shows who is around you and who isn’t in tough times.”
Recall that Rauf’s central contract was terminated by the PCB last month following an investigation into the paceman’s refusal to join Pakistan’s Test squad for the 2023-24 tour of Australia.
His central contract could be renewed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the pacer appealed a few days ago, according to sources.
Rauf refused to play the Australia Tests due to injury concerns and managing the workload.
Rauf has only played a solitary Test match for Pakistan in his career after making his debut against England in 2022 in Rawalpindi.
The 30-year-old has 69 wickets in 37 ODIs while also bagging 90 wickets in 66 T20Is.
Not playing cricket to prove myself to anyone, says Haris Rauf
