Haris Rauf has been ruled out of the remainder of Pakistan’s ODI tri-series campaign due to a muscle sprain, with Akif Javed, an uncapped seamer, called up in his place.
Rauf sustained the injury to the lower chest wall in the hosts’ defeat to New Zealand in the competition opener, and has been advised rest. He is expected to be fully fit for the Champions Trophy, which starts in Pakistan on February 19.
Javed has been called up in place of the express quick. The 24-year-old left-arm seamer is yet to represent Pakistan, and is yet to establish himself as a regular in the Pakistan Super League. He has never played more than six games in a season, switching from Islamabad United to Karachi Kings ahead of PSL 2023, and not featuring in PSL 2024.
His overall List A record reads 33 wickets at 36, conceding just over a run a ball, while in T20 cricket he has 84 wickets and an economy rate of 8.23. His selection comes off the back of a stellar Bangladesh Premier League campaign, which has helped bolster the recall claims of several Pakistan stars. Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah are two who shone in that competition to earn Champions Trophy call-ups, and Javed’s 20 wickets at 14.30 for Rangpur Raiders helped put him in the spotlight.
Pakistan lost their first tri-series ODI, with New Zealand then beating South Africa in the second ODI to book their place in the final, making the last group stage game between Pakistan and the Proteas a virtual knockout. The Pakistan-South Africa game takes place on February 12 with the final on February 14.
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