Haris | Pakistan

Hit to all parts by India in the Asia Cup final at the end of September, Haris Rauf turned to domestic cricket to rediscover his mojo. On his return to international cricket, the grind of first-class cricket paved the way for a fiery spell of fast bowling that clinched victory for Pakistan with the 32-year-old ripping through the Sri Lankan top-order, and finishing with figures of 4-61, as the hosts scraped to a six-run win in the first One-day International at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night. “It wasn’t easy to win tonight,” Haris said at the post-match press conference. “It wasn’t easy to bowl in the dew but you keep trying as a bowler to pick wickets and in the end we won, which was important.” The performance was important for Haris as well. Slammed for being too easy to put away in the highly-charged Asia Cup final against arch-rivals India, the right-armer got back to work with Islamabad in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. “You keep giving your best effort and try to make an impact,” he said. “In our...

A counter-punching century by Salman Ali Agha and Haris Rauf’s fiery pace led Pakistan to a six-run win over Sri Lanka in the first One-day International at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night. While Salman’s gritty knock carried Pakistan out of deep trouble for the hosts to post an above-par 299-run total, Haris bowled a red-hot spell (4-61) to restrict Sri Lanka despite the visitors looking dangerous early on. Sri Lanka had cruised to 75-0 in the first 10 overs as openers Pathum Nissanka and debutant Kamil Mishara punished the Pakistan pacers’ lack of discipline. Both batters were also handed a reprieve each as Salman dropped Nissanka in the slips off Shaheen while he was playing at six. Mishara, meanwhile, escaped a scare when Haris Rauf failed to hold on to a chance in the 10th over. In between, the Sri Lankan openers hit boundaries on regular intervals with the Pakistan bowlers struggling to maintain consistent line and length in the first powerplay. But two overs later, Haris Rauf removed bo...

SHARJAH: Skipper Salman Agha hit an unbeaten half-century and fast bowler Haris Rauf grabbed four wickets as Pakistan upstaged Afghanistan by 39 runs in the Twenty20 International tri-series opener in Sharjah on Friday. Right-handed Salman hit a 36-ball 53 not out with three sixes and as many boundaries which lifted Pakistan to a solid 182-7 in their 20 overs. Haris took 4-31 while fellow pacer Shaheen Afridi claimed 2-21, while spinners Mohammad Nawaz (2-23) and Sufiyan Muq­eem (2-25) dismissed Afghanistan for 143 in 19.5 overs before a noisy capacity 16,000 crowd at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Afghanistan matched Pakistan with opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 27-ball 38 with a six and three boundaries, adding 51 for the second wicket with Sediqullah Atal, who made 23. It was right-armer Haris who changed the game with a two-wicket 12th over sending Atal and Karim Janat back without conceding a run. Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan smashed five sixes and a four in his whirlwind 16-ball 39 but fell to Haris to end ...

Mohammad Haris hit a swashbuckling maiden international century to guide Pakistan to a 3-0 clean sweep of Bangladesh with a seven-wicket win in the third and final Twenty20 international in Lahore on Sunday. Haris, playing in his 17th T20I, carted seven sixes and eight boundaries in his 107 off just 46 balls as Pakistan chased down a challenging 197-run target in 17.2 overs for their first home T20I series win in three-and-a-half years. Pakistan won the first two matches by 37 and 57 runs at the same venue. Parvez Hossain smashed four sixes and seven boundaries in his solid 34-ball 66 to lift Bangladesh to 196-6 in their 20 overs. Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan for one in the first over, but Haris, whose hundred came up off 45 balls, added 92 for the second wicket with Saim Ayub and an unbroken 60 for the fourth with Salman Agha, who made 15 not out. Ayub hit four sixes and two boundaries in his 29-ball 45 while Hasan Nawaz scored 13-ball 26 as the home batters enthralled a near-capacity 30,000 crowd at Gadda...