Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf produced an unexpected batting display in the T20I tri-series clash against Afghanistan at Sharjah on September 2.
Coming in at No. 10, Rauf smashed an unbeaten 34 off just 16 deliveries, including four towering sixes, becoming the top scorer for his side in a match that ended in an 18-run defeat for Pakistan.
Alongside Sufiyan Muqeem (7*), Rauf stitched a 40-run stand for the 10th wicket, Pakistan’s highest-ever last-wicket partnership in T20Is.
Record-breaking feat with the bat
Haris Rauf’s innings carved his name into the record books. He became the first Pakistani No. 10 or No. 11 batter to finish as the team’s highest scorer in a T20I.
Previously, only players batting at No. 9 had achieved that distinction. His four sixes also saw him equal the world record for the most sixes hit by a No. 10 or 11 batter in a T20I.
The mark had earlier been matched by West Indies’ Akeal Hosein, who blasted 44* off 16 balls against England in Bridgetown in 2022.
The 40-run partnership with Muqeem also erased a 15-year-old Pakistani record for the last wicket in T20Is. The previous best was an unbeaten 31-run stand between Shoaib Akhtar and Wahab Riaz against New Zealand in Auckland back in 2010.
Struggles with the ball
While Haris Rauf’s batting heroics were the highlight of Pakistan’s innings, his primary role with the ball proved disappointing.
The Rawalpindi pacer, also Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is, bowled three overs for 38 runs at an economy rate of 12.67 without picking up a single wicket. His off day with the ball overshadowed what could have been a remarkable all-round outing.
‘Could have been a different story had we not lost those wickets’
“I think 170 was gettable, seeing at the games here. I think it was a good job by the bowlers, but we lost too many wickets. We were going along well, but we lost too many wickets in the middle overs. It gets difficult after that. They (Afghan spinners) are good enough to grab the opportunities. It could have been a different story had we not lost those wickets,” Salman Agha, Pakistan captain, said after the defeat.
