NEWS
Follow UsHaris Rauf dished out horrible performances in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, putting his spot in the side under scanner, but instead of taking the available opportunities, the pacer decided to pull out of the Australia tour in December.
That resulted in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ripping off his central contract, but then it was reinstated when Mohsin Naqvi was appointed the PCB Chairman. However, Rauf was pulled out of the PSL after dislocating his shoulder. But Azam updated that Rauf has recovered fully and is all set to take part in the T20 World Cup next month. "Haris Rauf's fitness is much improved; I wasn't expecting him to recover so fast," Babar said in a press conference ahead of Pakistan's departure for Ireland and the UK.
"He's positive about his involvement in the tournament and very driven to succeed. There's pressure on him because there's been a lot of talk about him, but I think he'll come back strong. When you come back from a rest, mentally, physically, you can create quite an impact."
Since winning the Champions Trophy in 2017, Pakistan have remained trophyless, with their performance in world events being extremely ordinary. They have brought in former Indian coach Gary Kirsten to the coaching set-up to bolster the team’s chances. Azam, hence, wants to look ahead instead of dwelling too much on the past and has confidence in his team to win the whole thing.
"What happened in the past is in the past. Our aim was always to bring the trophy home, and we're doubly confident and believe we can bring the trophy home. I'll always believe in my players as captain, and we'll give our best at the World Cup.
"We're not playing any personal games. We'll do whatever's best for the team. It has nothing to do with individual players' personal preferences. Whatever's the best batting or bowling line-up for the team is the one we'll go with. We're in touch with Gary, and he has a lot of experience with coaching. From what I've said to him, he understands what our line-up is and how we're playing.
"The time for rotation is now a bit late because the World Cup is upon us. The matches we've got left, we'll try to give a run out to the players and combination we want to have for the World Cup. Everyone should have hope. We try to stay true to that hope. Because cricket is the one thing that puts everyone on the same page. It's always on the back of my mind that everyone in Pakistan is on the same page. Our responsibility is to give our best, of course, and remain positive,” the Pakistan skipper added.
