Having originally been content to make a name for himself in white-ball cricket, fast bowler Haris Rauf has expressed his desire to play Test cricket for Pakistan after finding himself in the 29-man squad set to tour England later this year.
Rauf was a great hit at the Big Bash League (BBL), picking up 20 wickets in 10 matches for the Melbourne Stars. He hasn’t reached the same heights in first-class cricket, with only 74 overs to his name since he made his debut in September 2019, but Pakistan have a history of trusting a player’s potential. The most recent example of that is Naseem Shah, who repaid the faith and became the youngest bowler ever to pick up a Test-match hat-trick.
From playing grade cricket in Tasmania, to replacing Dale Steyn in the BBL, to winning a Pakistan central contract, Rauf has had a meteoric rise. But until now, he has never really been tempted to give…