Haris Rauf has been ruled out of the rest of PSL 2024 with a dislocated shoulder. The Lahore Qalandars fast bowler sustained the injury during the match against Karachi Kings on Saturday and will need four to six weeks to recover.
“The medical board, after consultation, has concluded that he needs four to six weeks to recover, which will force him to miss the PSL season,” the Qalandars said in a statement.
Rauf was injured on the second last ball of a close match when he caught and dismissed Hasan Ali while falling from a long-on. Rauf took the catch cleanly and clumsily rolled forward, immediately in pain. It did not prevent the defending champions from suffering a fourth defeat in a row, although Rauf played well with the ball.
He picked up 1 for 22 from his four overs, a welcome return to form after a tough start. Before yesterday’s match, Rauf rode on 11 overs and picked only two wickets in them.
The injury capped a tough few months for Rauf on and off the field, the first time since he burst onto the scene with the Qalandars. He had a poor World Cup in India and struggled to make it when Pakistan failed to get out of the group stage. This form was somewhat corrected in New Zealand, where he took seven wickets in a 4–1 series loss to Pakistan, but went at 10.61 per over.
By then, however, he was already in the midst of a faltering relationship with PCB. He turned down an opportunity to play in Pakistan’s Test series in Australia before the New Zealand games, angering chief selector Wahab Riaz and then team director Mohammad Hafeez. Rauf said he wants to focus on his white ball game and is contracted to the Melbourne Stars in the BBL. After a delay, the PCB granted him a NOC to play in the league, but only until he had to join the Pakistan side in New Zealand.
However, his refusal to make himself available for the Pakistan Tests led to a sanction earlier this month when the PCB terminated his central contract.
Despite his recent form, Rauf’s absence will be a big loss for the already faltering Qalandars. This season they are missing the services of Rashid Khan, the Afghan superstar who has been central to their success in recent seasons. Although the T20 World Cup is still three months away, the timeline of his return means that Rauf will be racing against time to ensure that he is properly involved in the action.
