Haris Rauf faced further setbacks in his World Cup 2023 journey, setting an undesirable record during Pakistan’s final league match against England in Kolkata on Sunday. The 30-year-old speedster became the first Pakistani bowler to surpass 500 runs conceded in a single World Cup edition, breaking the longstanding record held by England’s Adil Rashid.
Despite his previous struggles, Rauf showcased improvement in the final league encounter, claiming crucial wickets such as Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, and Moeen Ali in a remarkable spell during the death overs. His overall figures stood at 64 for 3 in his 10-over quota.
In an unexpected move, Rauf was handed the new ball for the first time in the tournament, with Hasan Ali making way for Mohammad Wasim Jr. However, Rauf’s initial performance was shaky, marked by two five-wides. After conceding 31 runs in his first 3 overs, he rebounded with a commendable second spell.
Even the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in 2023, Shaheen Shah Afridi, succumbed to a high run rate. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s semi-final aspirations were dashed as they lost the toss, preventing them from setting a formidable total. England capitalized on Ben Stokes and Joe Root’s fifties, posting 337 for 9 in 50 overs.
While they are out of the run for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 semi-finals spot, Pakistan would still be looking to end the tournament on a high with a win. As of writing this, Pakistan have already lost 2 wickets for 10 runs in 2.4 overs.
- Haris Rauf – 533 in 9 matches – 16 wickets in 2023
- Adil Rashid – 626 in 11 matches – 11 wickets in 2019
- Dilshan Madushanka – 525 in 9 matches – 21 wickets in 2023
- Mitchell Starc – 502 in 10 matches – 10 wickets in 2019
