Pakistan’s Pace Star Haris Rauf Injured – To Miss West Indies & Bangladesh Tours

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been hit with a major setback just ahead of its upcoming tours of Bangladesh and the West Indies. Fast bowler Haris Rauf, known for his raw pace and wicket-taking ability, is now unlikely to take part in either tour due to injury.

According to recent reports, Haris Rauf suffered a hamstring injury while playing for the San Francisco Unicorns in the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC) season in the United States. The injury occurred during a match against the Texas Super Kings, where Rauf could bowl only one over before walking off the field in discomfort. Medical scans later confirmed that he would need several weeks of rest and rehabilitation to recover fully.

In response, the San Francisco Unicorns have already replaced him with New Zealand’s left-arm fast bowler Ben Lister for the rest of the tournament. However, the real problem lies with the Pakistan Cricket Board, as Haris Rauf was a key part of their bowling plans for the twin overseas series scheduled later this month.

The selectors had marked Haris Rauf as a crucial part of their T20 strategy, especially with the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup coming up soon. His ability to bowl fast and deliver in the death overs made him one of the top picks for the team. In fact, despite his injury, Rauf has remained among the leading wicket-takers in this season’s MLC. He currently holds 17 wickets, the same as his teammate Xavier Bartlett, even though he played two fewer matches.

This injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Pakistan’s team management, who are trying to finalize their squad for the upcoming international tournaments. They had hoped to use the tours of Bangladesh and the West Indies to test out combinations and strategies with a full-strength squad.

With Haris Rauf now out of action, Pakistan is expected to bring in pacers who have limited international experience. The official squad announcement is expected later today, and fans will be eager to see which bowlers are selected to fill the void left by Rauf’s absence.

These tours are very important for Pakistan’s preparation. They give the team a chance to build rhythm, test new players, and gain confidence before the big events. But doing all this without Haris Rauf will be a tough challenge.

Still, the good news is that the injury is not career-threatening. Once he completes his rehab and regains fitness, Haris Rauf is expected to return strongly. If everything goes well, he will once again become one of the first names on Pakistan’s team sheet in the lead-up to the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup.

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