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Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan pacer, expressed his concerns about Haris Rauf’s performance during the highly anticipated clash against Pakistan at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday, October 14. In this marquee match of the ODI World Cup 2023, the Men in Blue showcased their superiority by registering a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over the Green Team.
Match Summary
Batting first, Pakistan’s innings culminated with a below-par 191 runs in 42.5 overs. Despite an initially strong position at 155/2, Pakistan faced a dramatic collapse, losing eight wickets for a mere 36 runs.
Responding to Pakistan’s bowling attack, Rohit Sharma delivered a brilliant performance, almost making a mockery of their efforts. The Indian captain showcased his batting skills by scoring 86 runs from just 63 balls, and he played a pivotal role in steering the Indian team to a comprehensive victory with 19.3 overs to spare. Meanwhile, Rauf came under scrut🔴iny for his performance. The 29-year-old was taken to the cleaners by the Indian batters as he conceded 43 runs in six overs without securing♊ a wicket, which drew criticism from Akram.
Wasim Akram expresses his disappointment with Haris Rauf’s abysmal bowling
In his conversation with A sports regarding Rauf’s performance, Akram highlighted a specific concern. He emphasized that Rauf tends to picked wickets only when the batters aggressively target him. The 57-year-old stressed the need for Rauf to enhance his length and adapt to the demands of 50-over cricket.
“There’s an attitude about a bowler. Talking about Haris Rauf, and nothing against him as he’s been Pakistan’s main bowler. I think that he will only pick wickets when batters go after him. I’ve never seen him swing the ball and pick wickets like Bumrah did today. He has pace but he has to improve his length for one-day cricket,” Akram said.
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Acknowledging Jasprit Bumrah’s mastery
On the other hand, Akram showered accolades upon India’s Jasprit Bumrah. He commended Bumrah’s clever and world-class bowling performance. Bumrah’s remarkable spell, where he picked two wickets while conceding only 19 runs in seven overs, played a pivotal role in India’s success.
“Jasprit Bumrah is a clever bowler, one of the best in the world. When he was not getting any swing initially, he was hit for a couple of fours but restricted the flow of runs after that. Everything was finishing within the stumps and that was a slow ball to dismiss Rizwan. Any batter would have got out on the delivery that got Shadab Khan,” the Lahore-born cricketer concluded.
