Haris Rauf stole the limelight as Pakistan crushed Australia by 9 wickets at the Adelaide Oval to level the three-match series 1-1. The speedster contributed to the visitors' convincing nine-wicket victory on Friday, finishing with figures of 8-0-29-5. Pakistan easily crossed the finish line with 23.3 overs remaining after chasing a modest goal of 164 on a superb batting pitch.
The fact that Rauf was named Player of the Match was hardly shocking. Despite Pakistan's two-wicket loss, Rauf also tortured the Australian hitters at the MCG. Rauf's efforts, however, were not in vain in Adelaide. The 31-year-old Rauf is one of their team's players who is quite familiar with Australian circumstances.
Haris Rauf credits BBL
The pacer recalled all of his Big Bash League (BBL) playing days with the Melbourne Stars. Both Adelaide and Melbourne demonstrated Rauf's love of bowling on Australia's bouncy pitches.
"We are happy to win this game. We have fans everywhere in the world, we are just trying to give them happiness. I have played a lot of games for the Melbourne Stars, so I knew these conditions," said Haris Rauf in the post-match presentation.
In the BBL, Rauf's most notable season was 2019–20. At an economy rate of 7.05, he claimed 20 wickets from 10 games while filling in for Dale Steyn. First, at the Ted Summerton Reserve in Moe, Rauf shook the Hobart Hurricanes with a five-wicket haul. Rauf improved his performance and took a hat-trick against the Sydney Thunder at the MCG, taking out Daniel Sams, Matthew Gilkes, and Callum Ferguson. Before being selected in the upcoming season's draft, Rauf continued to play for the Stars for three more seasons.
Rauf has now ensured that Pakistan has a serious chance of defeating Australia in a bilateral series away from home. Rauf was ecstatic following Fantastic Friday's victory in Adelaide, particularly when he performed in front of a throng of Pakistani supporters in the stands.
