File photo of Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf.© AFP
Pace bowling just adds an extra essence to the game of cricket. Anything bowled above 90mph is considered good pace even in international cricket and the bowlers who can clock that kind of speed with good line and length are a gem. The same goes for Pakistan’s Haris Rauf. The ace speedster has some serious pace in his bowling as he can easily clock around 150 kmph. But Rauf also has an inspiration to keep himself going. His ideal does not belong to Pakistani greats like Shoaib Akhtar or Wasim Akram, rather it is an ex-Royal Challengers Bangalore and former South Africa bowler Dale Steyn.
While revealing Steyn as his favorite bowler of all time, Rauf added that he also tries to emulate the South African pacer’s celebration style after taking a wicket.
“Mai hamesha follow Dale Steyn ko karta hoon, jab se main usko dekh raha hoon. Uska jo aggression hai vo mujhe kaafi pasand hai. Jis tarah woh wicket le ke aggression show karta hai, kosish karta hoon ki main bhi ground mein us tarah he aggression karu, but mera thoda sa jyada he ho jaata hai. But Dale Steyn is always my favorite hai. (I always follow Dale Steyn since the time I watch him play. I try to imitate his aggression after taking a wicket , but I think I’m exaggerating it a bit. But Dale Steyn is my favorite bowler of all time),” Rauf said in a video uploaded by ICC.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the squad for the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup on Friday and Rauf found a place for himself in the team.
Although most of the top names were present, there were a few surprises in the PCB-selected squad.
Fast bowler Naseem Shah, who suffered an injury during the recently concluded Asia Cup, was left out of Pakistan’s Cricket World Cup squad. But veteran pacer Hasan Ali has made a comeback into the Cricket World Cup squad.
Babar Azam will lead the Pakistan cricket team at the Cricket World Cup while Shadab Khan will be his deputy.
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