Mohammad Haris was not even in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad until ten days ago. Now, he is arguably the heartbeat of a resurgent Pakistan batting unit, writes Shashwat Kumar.

In a line-up that also comprises Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, one would assume that it would require something special for anyone else to grab attention. The two have plundered tons of runs and almost everything looks good when they’re looking good. That, at times, comes at a cost. In the pursuit of batting long, which is often a good outcome for Pakistan, they take slightly longer than ideal in the powerplay, requiring someone at No.3 to grab the bull by the horns and make the most of the laid foundation.

In recent times, they have tried several players in that role – as many as nine since the start of 2020 – with varying results. Among them has been Mohammad Haris, who, despite the relatively small sample space, seems to have adjusted better than most to the role. Brought in for the final stages of the T20 World Cup, he has faced 11 balls in the powerplay and has scored 28 runs at a strike rate in excess of 250. In his T20 career, he has faced 90 balls during the field restrictions and has scored 168 runs at a strike rate of more than 185. Whenever he bats in the powerplay, he makes a mark.

Haris bats fearlessly, and does not seem to be afraid of getting dismissed. An overall T20 strike rate of 138.02 and an average of 23.04 indicates to that. The average might not be attractive, but that’s not the point. Haris complements Babar and Rizwan’s cautiousness by taking up the role of scoring quicker almost immediately.

The other impressive aspect about Haris’ displays has been his ability to attack high pace. On T20 World Cup debut (only his second T20I), he tore into Kagiso Rabada. He pulled the South Africa’s premier quick with disdain twice, then whacking a full delivery into the stands over deep mid-wicket. He perished to Anrich Nortje a couple of overs later but that was not before he had scooped him for six, giving Pakistan the impetus they had been craving all tournament.

The youngster continued to play in the same vein against Bangladesh, doing well in the middle overs as well. In the semi-final, he got off to a slightly sluggish start, but when Lockie Ferguson came on to bowl the 18th over, he pounced, he pounced on the extra speed. At this T20 World Cup, he has struck at 197.43 against pace.

The most telling facet, though, from Pakistan’s perspective, has been how easily Haris has adapted to a higher level. Prior to the T20 World Cup, he had played just a solitary T20I. That number has risen to four matches so far. If you’ve caught a glimpse of him, the inexperience just doesn’t show.

That fearlessness seems to have rubbed off on his teammates. During the must-win clash against South Africa, Pakistan would have feared the worst when Rizwan had departed early – another capitulation would have left them packing their bags. At that very moment, Haris came along and transformed their campaign.

The game against the Proteas will be remembered for what Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan did. But they would have never had that opportunity had Haris not set the tone inside the powerplay. Pakistan have looked a changed outfit since, and much of that credit has to go to Haris.

It is the sort of impact very few players have had at this T20 World Cup, and is the sort of impact that often proves the difference between an average and a truly special campaign. And Pakistan’s journey, which has seen them come back from the brink of elimination to the glitz and glory of a T20 World Cup final, certainly qualifies as the latter.

Haris might not stick around to score as heavily as Babar and Rizwan, or have the star value of the likes of Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi right now. But what he’s come in and done will be remembered for a  long time. The best part is that he is only 21 – this T20 World Cup might or might not end with a silverware, but he’s truly set the tone for a bright future.

It seems strange that he was not part of their original T20 World Cup squad. Had Fakhar Zaman not aggravated his injury, Haris might not have featured altogether. But here he is, starring from nowhere. Just like Pakistan’s campaign.

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