CRICKET
Breaking News: Pakistan Cricket Board ends Star Players’ contract with immediate effect
In a bizarre turn of events on Thursday the Pakistan Cricket Board has taken an unprecedented step. The PCB has decided to terminate the contract of fast bowler Haris Rauf.
The 30-year-old had most recently played during the Pakistan tour of New Zealand. The biggest reason being stated behind the move is that Haris Rauf didn’t play Test cricket. Pakistan’s tour of Australia in late 2023 saw Haris Rauf fail to link up with his teammates.
While his side was getting hammered in Test cricket, Haris Rauf was playing Big Bash League. What will worry Pakistan cricket is that the T20I World Cup is just four months down the line. Haris Rauf is known to be one of the better bowlers in this form of the game.
PCB takes strict action against Haris Rauf
Fast bowler Haris Rauf has seen his contract terminated by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The move came after the fast bowler didn’t play Test cricket during the recent Australian tour. According to the provisions in PCB’s central contract, this is a huge rule violation and hence this move was adopted.
According to the news the PCB has also decided not to issue any No Objection Certificate to Haris Rauf. This puts his franchise cricket future in doubt as well as his international cricket future. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf formed a key partnership in 2022. The trio had led their side into the finals of the tournament before losing to England. This year, Pakistan will lock horns with India once more when the two sides meet on 9th June.
In the last edition of the T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli’s six against Haris Rauf had become legendary. The right-arm pacer was also part of the Pakistan squad in the ODI World Cup 2023 held in India.
It was a tournament to remember for Haris Rauf as he was clobbered for runs. After his inconsistent performances, Rauf was dropped from the team. His last international involvement was against New Zealand where he picked 7 wickets from four games. Pakistan lost the series 4-1 as Haris Rauf was benched for the final match of the series.