Pakistan News – Babar Azam – Haris Rauf hopes for his involvement in 2024 T20 World Cup

“What happened in the past was in the past,” began Babar, before seeing the question about his side’s title chances that he had been asked many times before, return to familiar ground. “Our goal was to bring the trophy home, and we are confident in our confidence and we believe that we can bring the trophy home. I will always believe in my players as captain, and we will give our best in the World Cup.”

“Haris Rauf’s fitness has improved a lot; I didn’t expect him to recover so quickly,” said Babar. “He is optimistic about his entry into the tournament and he is determined to succeed. There is pressure on him because he has been talked about, but I think he will come back strong. If you come back from rest, mentally, physically, you can make a big impact.”

Babar, who plays with Haris in Peshawar Zalmi, admitted that Haris may not have got the opportunities following the World Cup that he might have expected.

“He didn’t get a full chance after that World Cup but he is at a high level. [Mohammad] Rizwan, Fakhar [Zaman]Sam [Ayub] with me. He got a chance in the PSL, but the way he wanted to do it, he couldn’t. That doesn’t make him a bad player because it happens to every player at some point. Then we discussed where we would play him. If we had kept him in the sides he would have been forced to play in the lower division. Then we went with the best combination of the bunch. “

Babar has hinted that it is possible – maybe, even – that Hasan will not make the World Cup squad, as things stand, stating that he has bounced back from his experience.

“With Hasan, the selectors have made it clear that he is there as a backup. He is not guaranteed to be in the 15. He is here because he has T20 experience and general experience. Zaman Khan is one of the best bowlers but he is a new ball bowler. We already have 3-4 bowlers with recommendations. of one person.

Some will argue that Pakistan captain Zaman is a little bit of history. Zaman, for the Lahore Qalandars, however, is one of the death bowlers they turn to often, bowling alongside Haris Rauf during the last four overs of matches. Apart from bowling many overs in the Powerplay and middle overs, he has taken many wickets at the death of the format, and has been praised for his ability to bowl yorkers and slow deliveries. It was no coincidence that his captain Shaheen Afridi turned to Zaman in the last over of the 2023 PSL final, where he held his own to help Lahore Qalandars win by one run.

Whether that was enough approval is another matter, but Babar was clear that team goals and not individual preferences would decide the selection, and that the newly appointed white-ball coach, Gary Kirsten, has been brought in and working to achieve the game’s purpose. the same goal.

“We don’t play personal games. We will do our best for the team. It has nothing to do with what each player likes. Whatever is the best batting or bowling system in the team is the one we will go with. We are connected with Gary, and he has a lot of experience in coaching. From what I have told him, he understands what our system is and how we play.

“The time to change has passed now because the World Cup has arrived. These games we have left, we will try to finish the players and the combination we want to have for the World Cup.

“Everyone should have hope. We try to stay true to that hope. Because cricket is the thing that brings everyone together. It’s always in my mind that everyone in Pakistan is on the same page. Our job is to give our best and stay positive.”

And with that, Babar was back to his familiar place. In the next few months, he’ll hope he can once again scale uncharted territory.