NEWS
Follow UsIn the aftermath of the second T20I between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston on May 25 (Saturday), much of the focus was on the successful return of Jofra Archer, but the same encounter saw another tearaway return to competitive cricket after three full months.
Haris Rauf, prior to the second T20I against England, hadn’t played any professional cricket since February, due to dislocating his shoulder in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), but the right-arm quick made a successful comeback, registering figures of 2/34, bowling his full quota of four overs.
With the T20 World Cup less than a week away, it’s not ideal for any player — let alone a fast bowler — to be ‘building up’ fitness, but Rauf admitted that long injury layoffs can sometimes be in a blessing in disguise, for it allows individuals to reset, take a step back, refresh and reassess their plans.
"I was injured the last few months but if you believe in yourself, then the layoff can be a blessing in disguise," Rauf told reporters on May 27 (Monday).
“Because you have time to recover and reassess your gameplans. I felt good coming back to cricket. When you play for your country, it makes you very proud."
The 30-year-old didn’t shy away from admitting that rehab is a very tough process, but asserted that self-belief and self-confidence can go a long way in making things easier for an individual.
"It's a struggle during your rehab, and it's difficult when you come back to maintain that pace and accuracy. But if you believe in yourself, it makes things easier.
“When I wasn't in the team and rehabbing, I had a lot of time to think about my game and work on myself. Thankfully I'm back now, and the World Cup is coming up."
After a washout in the first T20I in Leeds, Pakistan suffered a 23-run defeat in the second T20I. The Men in Green did well in patches but ultimately were not able to put the pieces together, and slipped to defeat due to the same.
Rauf admitted that it’s never ideal to lose, but insisted that the Pakistan camp is relaxed, and is confident of building up momentum ahead of the T20 World Cup.
"When you lose a game it hurts, but as a team, we are confident," he said. "We feel we can beat any opposition on any day. We've done it in the past, too. When you make mistakes you learn and try not to repeat those mistakes. We're looking to play better in the next few games and make a comeback.
"The camp is relaxed. We're enjoying ourselves. We're trying to follow our gameplans and execute them well. The results haven't often been in our favour recently but if you stick to your plans they can sometimes follow."
The third T20I of the four-match series will be played later tonight (May 28) at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
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