Haris Rauf is a prominent Pakistani fast bowler, has a unique slinging action. Pakistan didn’t pick Haris Rauf for their T20I World Cup 2026 team mainly because of strategy choices that better suited Sri Lanka’s playing conditions.
Key Reasons
- Pakistan’s white-ball coach Mike Hesson explained that the team picked only three main fast bowlers like Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Salman Mirza. He said they can bowl well in all parts of the game, especially on Sri Lankan pitches that help spinners more
- Chief selector Aaqib Javed added that they choose extra spinners to take advantage of those conditions. This happened even though Haris Rauf has been in great form lately, like topping the wickets in the Big Bash League. Rauf was in the mix with Wasim Jr. and Ahmed Daniyal, but they ran out of spots for him.
Recent Form Issues
Haris Rauf’s last T20I match was the Asia Cup 2025 final on September 28. He gave away 50 runs in just 3.4 overs and didn’t take any wickets. This poor showing raised questions about how he handles pressure in big games. Since then, he hasn’t played any T20Is, missing series against Sri Lanka and Australia.
Squad Context
Salman Ali Agha is leading a 15-player squad that features fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) can make changes to this initial list until January 31, but Haris Rauf is still out of action.
| Salman Ali Agha (c) |
| Abrar Ahmed |
| Babar Azam |
| Faheem Ashraf |
| Fakhar Zaman |
| Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk) |
| Mohammad Nawaz |
| Mohammad Salman Mirza |
| Naseem Shah |
| Sahibzada Farhan (wk) |
| Saim Ayub |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi |
| Shadab Khan |
| Usman Khan |
| Usman Tariq |
Recent T20I series against Sri Lanka tested similar players, excluding resting stars like Babar and Shaheen temporarily.
