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Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt criticized Haris Rauf for not adhering to his field placements during the T20 World Cup match against the USA in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday. Rauf was entrusted with bowling the final over when the USA required 15 runs to win. Despite being an experienced right-arm pacer, Rauf conceded a six off the third ball to Aaron Jones. With 5 runs needed off the last ball, Rauf opted for a yorker despite the mid-off fielder being up. Unfortunately, the delivery turned out to be a low full toss, allowing USA batter Nitish Kumar to strike it over the mid-off fielder’s head for a boundary.
After both USA and Pakistan concluded their innings with 159 runs on the board, the match proceeded into a Super Over. In the Super Over, Pakistan allowed eight extra runs, conceding a total of 18 runs, with Mohammad Amir bearing the brunt of the blame. Additionally, Pakistan’s fielders appeared disorganized, granting easy singles and doubles to the USA batters, contributing to their opponent’s total.
In response, Pakistan could only muster 12 runs in the Super Over bowled by Saurabh Netravalkar, as the USA scripted history by defeating Pakistan in a World Cup match. This marked their third victory over a Test-playing nation, with none more significant than this triumph against a former world champion.
Salman Butt commented on Haris Rauf’s performance, suggesting that Rauf often fails to observe his field placements before delivering the ball. “It’s not surprising that he conceded so many runs because he’s the kind of player who doesn’t pay attention to his field,” Butt remarked on the ‘Cricket Baithak’ podcast. He pointed out that with the mid-off positioned within the circle, Rauf should have avoided bowling full deliveries, highlighting it as a fundamental aspect of cricket. Butt also noted the captain’s visible frustration, indicating a lack of adherence to basic cricketing principles.
Following the conclusion of both teams’ innings with 159 runs each, the match advanced into a Super Over. During this decisive phase, Pakistan conceded eight extra runs, resulting in a total of 18 runs, with Mohammad Amir facing criticism for his performance. Furthermore, Pakistan’s fielders seemed disorganized, allowing the USA batters to easily secure singles and doubles, which added to their opponent’s final tally.
“He (Haris Rauf) has some weird style when he bowls a ball and just sits on his knees with his hand on his head. It is as if he incurred a loss in shares or someone robbed him. I don’t know what he tries to portray but that is so unprofessional. You never learn anything. They lacked common sense and game awareness,” Butt said.
Haris Rauf faces allegations of ball-tampering, with Rusty Theron, not part of the USA squad, accusing him of running his thumbnails over the ball, which was two overs old, causing it to reverse.
The former South African cricketer, aged 38, criticized the ICC for not investigating the alleged incident. Theron took to social media, expressing his concerns: “@ICC are we just going to pretend Pakistan aren’t scratching the hell out of this freshly changed ball? Reversing the ball that’s just been changed 2 overs ago? You can literally see Haris Rauf running his thumbnail over the ball at the top of his mark. @usacricket #PakvsUSA”
Pakistan’s next match is against India on Sunday in New York.
