An emergency landing at Dera Ismail Khan gave Imran Khan, the former Pakistan prime minister and national cricket team captain, an opportunity to interact with the locals of Adiala village and share his thoughts on current Pakistan players.
Khan, one of game’s greatest all-rounders and Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning captain, asked fans of their favourite players while sharing some of his personal views. In a video posted, he was heard speaking of left-arm quick Shaheen Shah Afridi, while heaping praise on right-arm speedster Haris Rauf.
“Haris Rauf is an excellent bowler,”
Khan was heard saying in the video.
Rauf has been a regular in Pakistan’s white-ball setup, especially in T20Is ever since having made his debut in 2020. He had earlier made his presence felt with his searing pace in global T20 leagues, most notably at the Big Bash League in Australia with Melbourne Stars. Till date, he has bagged 62 wickets from 49 matches at an economy of 8.31.
In his most recent outing – against New Zealand in the ongoing tri-series – Rauf returned 3/28 from four overs in the side’s six-wicket win. He played his part in Pakistan’s run to the T20 World Cup semi-final in the UAE last year, bagging eight wickets at an economy of 7.3.
The fans also expressed criticism over some of the players, most significantly for Mohammad Rizwan, whose approach at the top has sparked debate in recent times.
“Rizwan plays a lot of balls. He scores 50 of 45 balls,”
a man could be heard complaining to Khan.
Pakistan are currently placed at the top of the points table in the ongoing tri-series in New Zealand, having defeated the hosts and Bangladesh in their first two outings. They’ll begin their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign against arch-rivals India in Melbourne on October 22.
