The Pakistan quick who was playing second grade in Australia just three years ago
As Australia’s batters are dealing with Haris Rauf’s thunderbolts in the Twenty20 World Cup semi-final against Pakistan early on Friday morning (AEDT), they will be facing a bowler who was playing second grade in Sydney three years ago.
Dave Gilbert, the former Australian Test paceman and Cricket NSW CEO, presented Rauf with his Western Suburbs cap as president of the club.
“We had to play him in the seconds because we had Ned Eckersley, who was with Leicester at the time, as our overseas player. We were terrified ‘Harry’ was going to kill someone,” Gilbert told the Herald and The Age. “He took six wickets, and we put him in first grade.”
Within a year Rauf was signed by the Melbourne Stars as an injury replacement, took a hat-trick in the Big Bash, and was whisked into Pakistan’s T20 team, where he has been a fixture ever since.
He’s Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in the current Twenty20 World Cup with eight, but growing up Rauf preferred football to cricket and only ever bowled with a taped tennis ball in street cricket games.
He was talked into taking part in an open trial with Pakistan Super League team Lahore Qalandars and, among the thousands who arrived to try their luck, was given one ball to impress. It was clocked at 148km/h, and he instantly became a member of the club’s academy.
Haris Rauf celebrates a wicket against Afghanistan.Credit:Getty
Through a connection with South African Paddy Upton, who was coach of the Sydney Thunder and Lahore Qalandars, the PSL team played a pre-season tournament in Sydney.
Then Thunder general manager Nick Cummins was sitting with Qalandars coach Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler, watching a match between the two teams when he was taken by how quick Rauf was bowling to the likes of Shane Watson and Mike Hussey.
“Aaqib explained that Rauf had never bowled with a cricket ball until he joined the Qalanders,” Cummins recalled.
Haris Rauf playing for Wests second grade in Sydney in 2018.
Rauf ended up joining Wests through local Pakistani connections and became an instant hit at the club, not only because of his ability to bowl fast but because of his genuinely affable nature.
“He was a lovely, sweet guy,” recalled Mark Ray, a former NSW state player and Tasmanian captain who was assistant coach with Wests at the time.
“I drove him around a bit helping out. He couldn’t speak much English, but he was always very appreciative.
“And he could bowl quick. The other players at the club couldn’t believe it when they first saw him at training.”
Ray had the same concerns as Gilbert when Rauf played his initial game with Wests in the second.
“I pulled him aside and explained that a lot of the players were still developing their game, so I suggested he bowl full at the stumps. Thankfully, he did.”
Rauf bowled for most of the first session without a break.
“He was so grateful for the opportunity to play that the captain couldn’t get the ball out of his hand,” Gilbert said.
The following season Cummins, who had become chief executive of Cricket Tasmania, flew Rauf in from Pakistan as cover for injured England fast bowler Tymal Mills with the Hobart Hurricanes.
“He played a couple of club games for Glenorchy,” said Cummins, who then moved to Cricket Victoria as a senior administrator. “The Melbourne Stars needed a replacement for Dale Steyn, who was injured, so I rang Cricket Tas and asked if they were going to sign Rauf. They didn’t commit to him so we signed him for the Stars.”
Just before Christmas 2019 the Hurricanes experienced what they had missed. In his second BBL game, Rauf claimed 5-27 against the Hobart side to be player of the match in a thumping win.
A week into the new year he claimed a hat-trick against the Thunder and was promptly named in Pakistan’s T20 team, making his international debut 16 days later against Bangladesh in Lahore.
Rauf has claimed wickets in all five of Pakistan’s matches during this Twenty20 World Cup to help his team go through the group stage undefeated, including a player of the match 4-22 against one of the early fancies, New Zealand.
Rauf and his pace-bowling teammates pose a significant challenge to the fast finishing Australians.
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