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Haris Rauf left out of T20 World Cup 2026 squad [Update@ post85]

Should Haris Rauf have been included in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad?

  • Yes, he deserves a spot.

    Votes: 3 10.0%

  • No, I don't back his addition to the squad.

    Votes: 27 90.0%
  • Total voters
    30
Ball Blazer

Ball Blazer

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Star Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf is reportedly set to miss out on Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

Sources reveal that white-ball head coach Mike Hesson is not inclined to include the right-arm fast bowler in the final lineup. Rauf last represented Pakistan in T20Is on September 28, 2025, during the Asia Cup final against India, which Pakistan lost.

Despite his recent absence from international cricket, Rauf remains one of Pakistan’s most effective bowlers in the shortest format. He is currently the national team’s leading T20I wicket-taker, having claimed 133 wickets in 94 matches at an economy rate of 8.38, including five four-wicket hauls, ranking him ninth overall in T20I history.

Rauf is presently featuring for Melbourne Stars in BBL 15, where he has been in outstanding form. He leads the tournament’s wicket charts with 18 wickets in 10 matches at an economy of 7.96.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has submitted a preliminary squad list to the ICC, with the option to make changes until January 31 without requiring approval. The national T20I squad is returning home after their recent series in Sri Lanka.

Hesson and captain Salman Ali Agha are expected to have final discussions with the selectors before confirming the squad. Probable picks include Salman Ali Agha, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan, and Abrar Ahmed.

Other players under consideration are Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Salman Mirza, and Khawaja Nafay, while Abdul Samad, Mohammad Wasim Jr, and Usman Tariq are likely to feature among the reserves.

The 2009 champions will kick off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo, followed by matches against the USA on February 10, India on February 15, and Namibia on February 18 to complete the group stage. Pakistan will play all Group A matches in Colombo, with the Super Eight fixtures scheduled across Colombo and Kandy.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
Don't worry about our team being announced.

Your hosting schedule hasn't been confirmed
:kp
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Usman Chadda said:
Schedule confirmed?

What are you doing about Bangladesh?
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It was confirmed a month ago. Didn't you see it? Okay, here's the link.

www.icc-cricket.com

Matches | ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2026 | ICC

Official ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2026 website – live cricket scores, fixtures, results, teams, rankings, news, videos and exclusive updates from the International Cricket Council.
www.icc-cricket.com www.icc-cricket.com

:klopp :kp
 
Hard call but lately he has costed too many important matches for Pakistan at the death.

I just hope Pakistan have a solid plan now for death bowling. I was hoping they'd try Ahmed Daniyal but they never did.

Now it's upto Naseem, Wasim Jr or Mirza to play the death bowler role alongside Shaheen.
 
Devadwal said:
He was the Only performer from Pakistan in BBL. He should be selected :kp
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He is a beast in Aus that is well known , elsewhere is just a bowling machine. His reluctance to play 5 day cricket will definitely make this coming soon and sooner than I expected. He was the prime reason Pak lost to USA in the last WT20 , even his long time friend Shaheen was so furious at him bowling such a delivery in the last ball of the match with mid on up such a basic mistake to do at an intl level.


Good riddance keeping in mind the USA match 😁😁
 
ask_analyse_act said:
He is a beast in Aus that is well known , elsewhere is just a bowling machine. His reluctance to play 5 day cricket will definitely make this coming soon and sooner than I expected. He was the prime reason Pak lost to USA in the last WT20 , even his long time friend Shaheen was so furious at him bowling such a delivery in the last ball of the match with mid on up such a basic mistake to do at an intl level.


Good riddance keeping in mind the USA match 😁😁
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But he is the only bowler who can win the trophy for Pakistan. In his form, he can rip any batting order. This is a two-way street.

I personally don't like him as an person but he has Jazba, dileri, badmaashi along with extreme pace.

Toda risk to Lena padega Pakistan ko

:kp
 
sweep_shot said:
In SL, Rauf may not be effective. So, good decision I guess.

Rauf is more suited for Australian and South African conditions.
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Bowling medium pace like Maharoof, Mathews, Thisara, Stoinis, Mitch marsh, Sam Curran , Dube etc would be very handy in SRL I believe with keeper standing up.

Irfan khan is a good choice and with his gun fielding would be very handy.
 
ask_analyse_act said:
Bowling medium pace like Maharoof, Mathews, Thisara, Stoinis, Mitch marsh, Sam Curran , Dube etc would be very handy in SRL I believe with keeper standing up.

Irfan khan is a good choice and with his gun fielding would be very handy.
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Yes. Slow bowlers are likely to thrive.
 
We gonna miss you in Raufy bhai. Yaar, the pace, the jazba, the wild Neanderthal expressions. Us Indians are big fans of your bowling 😢
 
Rana said:
Why just Rauf?

Why not Babar??
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Yes but he will be selected somehow. BBL should be good enough to show what he can do. Initially Hesson was looking for Babar to shine in BBL then due to Asia cup final he was called back and since then he is been playing the same and seems no matter what he will play the same way of tuk tuk.

40 ball 50s and 48 ball 60s. Pak should move on from Babar in 20-20s.

Take Nafay, H. Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Irfan Khan instead. No idea why Abdul Samad is there without any game or performances and his domestic records are abysmal to say the least.
 
RidiculousMan said:
Hard call but lately he has costed too many important matches for Pakistan at the death.

I just hope Pakistan have a solid plan now for death bowling. I was hoping they'd try Ahmed Daniyal but they never did.

Now it's upto Naseem, Wasim Jr or Mirza to play the death bowler role alongside Shaheen.
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Even Shaheen with his injury wouldn’t be part of the 20-20 WC I believe. In that case Zaman khan or Abbas afridi would be a good choice.
 
Hope this is right.

Naseem, Shaheen, Mirza, Faheem should be main pacers

Abrar, Usman can be the spinners

My XI:
Farhan
Saim
Salman
Fakhar
Nafay (wk)
Shadab
Nawaz
Faheem
Abrar/usman Tariq
Shaheen
Naseem/Mirza

If bowling needs strengthening maybe play mirza ahead of Faheem
 
In Asian conditions, Haris Rauf is inconsistent. His line & length goes out the window.

Him not being picked makes sense. With that being said, Babar, Shaheen & Naseem should not be considered for selection at all. I am unsure on Shadab, he shouldn't be picked ahead of Sufiyaam Muqeem who has just disappeared from the face of the earth.

However, I am unsure on Fakhar Zaman, he's been incredibly inconsistent player throughout his T20 career.

Usman Tariq & Wasim Jnr should be picked in the squad.
 
Not sure about this but I think Hesson gave Rauf specific instructions about how to bowl in his final over during that Asia Cup final and Rauf didn't follow any of them, and as we all know just bowled garbage pace-on only to get smashed and lose us that match in one over
 
To save Pak team he has to be dropped.

Opposition loves his bowling and smack him around the park.
 
Ball Blazer said:
What if he ends up destroying you?
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Correct, brother. Haris Rauf is only one of 3 guys who can clock 148 + in Pakistan currently as we saw in PSL. The others are unproven Fawad Ali and injury prone Akif.

Pace is pace, yaar. He is the only capable of blasting India out. :inti
 
Good decision if it happens... Haris is never suited for those pitches. If WC was in South africa or australia, I would have definitley picked him over any other guy...
 
Horses for courses approach should be the aim. Spinners reap the most rewards in SL.
Mirza, Shaheen (if fit), Wasim, Naseem/Fahim should be the pacers in the squad.
I don't see Babar making the squad in his current form. Better to pick someone like Sameer Minhas from u19.
 
we have 3 passengers : Shadab, Usman Khan, faheem Ashraf

Sad to see Hasan Nawaz and Sufiyan Muqeem not given longer run and featured in WC. They are more talented than the above players.

I can see Rauf doing well against weaker teams only but not against India. Happy to see Salman Mirza though!
 
rpant_gabba said:
not True.

Pak team is noting w/o Babar, Rizwan and Rauf.

the winning troika.
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Harris is a messed up bowler , in big tournaments you cannot have mentally weak bowlers .

Babar if played has to bat in top. Saim , Farhan , Ayub already there , so he should not be picked. Rizwan should be playing only Test.
 
I'm heartbroken by the hate towards the 3 great servants of Pak cricket. they should be respected and honored. They should have the priority is always.
 
Haris, as we know, has a tendency to completely buckle and capitulate in pressure situations. If he is bowling a crucial / deciding over you know he is going to go for 2 sixes and probably bowl a no ball in there too and almost certainly cost us the game. It is a shame he loses his head because in theory he is a very good bowler but you can't afford to have someone in a world cup who is almost guaranteed to screw up in the crucial edgy moments.
 
Seriously that hack Usman khan again with average of 17 and strike rate of 110.

He was one of the main reason Pakistan did badly in 2024 world cup.
Zimbo should be nowhere near any Pakistan squad.
Haris has always been a wicket taker but he loses important matches with his brainless bowling but I don't think naseem and shaheen are any better than him.
 
Yes leave out the only half decent pacer we have and pick garbage like Naseem Shah & Wasim Jnr.

Rauf has had bad days but he is still miles ahead of other pace options.

We are forgetting that he is also a gun fielder and more reliable with the bat then the so called allrounder Shaheen Afridi.
 
Sachin fan said:
Yep, already sad Rauf and Rizwan are not there. At least Babar and the 35 averaging Naseem are there, so still something to cheer about.
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I know you hate Naseem but he has generally bowled well against India in T20 whenever he has played them. He's a terrible T20 bowler but against India it's unlikely he will blow it in the same way as Rauf has in the past.

But don't worry I;m sure Babar will play his part with a trademark 29 off 33
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
I know you hate Naseem but he has generally bowled well against India in T20 whenever he has played them. He's a terrible T20 bowler but against India it's unlikely he will blow it in the same way as Rauf has in the past.

But don't worry I;m sure Babar will play his part with a trademark 29 off 33
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In 2022 t20 wc kohli enable to hit him.....he is very underrated death bowler with variations.....and actually has working brain unlike rauf but still would have picked rauf over usman khan and put him on bench while khawajay nafay is already in squad...
 
Katwalindian said:
In 2022 t20 wc kohli enable to hit him.....he is very underrated death bowler with variations.....and actually has working brain unlike rauf but still would have picked rauf over usman khan and put him on bench while khawajay nafay is already in squad...
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Yeah I mean its not like Usman Khan has done anything whatsoever to warrant being selected in the first place. Since last year he has averaged 27.7 at a SR of 106. Best of 37* vs. Zimbabwe. How much worse could Nafay possibly do than that?

But I dunno bro, dropping Rauf could be a blessing in disguise for Pakistan. He always finds a way to bottle it in big matches. I used to be optimistic about him too because he does have pace, but he has shown time and time again that he does not have the brains or the temperament of an international-level bowler.
 
20 wickets in BBL and was also named in the BBL 2025/26 Team of the Tournament but we know he is going to be useless on those lankan pitches....
 
He needs faster pitches to succeed otherwise on subcontinent slow pitches give him the new ball with Shaheen because in the middle and death overs he is useless.

With the new ball he does bowl good outswingers along with the heavy bouncer and an odd swinging yorker.
 
Haris Rauf breaks silence on likely omission from T20 World Cup squad

Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has broken his silence amid speculation over his exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad, saying that while missing out would be disappointing, it would not end his career.

“If I am not included in the T20 World Cup, it would be disappointing, but it will not be the end of my career,” Rauf said in an interview.

Rauf added that he is focused on improving his performance and working further on his bowling. “I will give my best performance and continue to work on my bowling,” he noted.

He also extended his best wishes to the national team for the tournament. “I have good wishes for the national team in the T20 World Cup,” he said, highlighting his continued support for his teammates.

Reflecting on his experiences, Rauf emphasised the challenges of cricket and maintaining consistency. “Whenever I played for Pakistan, I always gave 100%,” he said.

“Bowling in the death overs is not easy,” he added, while also noting that criticism and mistreatment of players are different matters. “There is a difference between criticism of a player and ill-treatment of a player,” Rauf explained.

The pacer also highlighted his form following the Asia Cup. “I have been performing consistently since the Asia Cup,” he said.

Last week, it emerged that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) submitted a preliminary list of players to the ICC for the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

However, it is understood that the PCB can make changes to the submitted list without ICC approval until January 31.

Sources say the probable players include captain Salman Ali Agha, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan and Abrar Ahmed.

Other players under consideration are Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Salman Mirza and Khawaja Nafay, while Abdul Samad, Mohammad Wasim Jr and Usman Tariq are likely to be named among the reserve players.

Pakistan have been drawn in Group A alongside India, the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia and will play all of its matches in Sri Lanka.

The national side will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo.

They will face the USA on February 10, followed by clashes against arch-rivals India on February 15 and Namibia on February 18 in their final group-stage match.

The Men in Green will be playing all of their matches in Sri Lanka, starting with four Group A fixtures in Colombo, while Super Eight matches are scheduled to be held in Colombo and Kandy.

www.geo.tv

Haris Rauf breaks silence on likely omission from T20 World Cup squad

Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has broken his silence amid speculation over his exclusion from the T20 World Cup squad, saying that while missing out would be disappointing, it would not end his career.“If I am not...
www.geo.tv www.geo.tv
 
Despite his many bad days, Haris at his best is a high impact middle overs wicket taking fast bowler which is rare and valuable in T20.

However given Pak will play in Sri Lanka only I see space for only 3 pacers in squad and IMO Shaheen, Naseem and Salman Mirza are better picks as all phases bowlers.
 
In T20s, to be a great bowler, you gotta have better economy along with few wickets.

It will not work if you give 20 runs in the 19th over but take a wicket and then call it injustice that they dropped you.
 
The end was confirmed when the coach had to leave the dugout and come down to the boundary to shout at him for bowling crap against the India. It's hard to come back after that.
 
pratiktc said:
Despite his many bad days, Haris at his best is a high impact middle overs wicket taking fast bowler which is rare and valuable in T20.

However given Pak will play in Sri Lanka only I see space for only 3 pacers in squad and IMO Shaheen, Naseem and Salman Mirza are better picks as all phases bowlers.
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Pakistan don't know how to use him. In any other decent team he becomes an asset.

Lahore Qalandars and Melbourne Stars have used him to their advantage
 
DeadlyVenom said:
The end was confirmed when the coach had to leave the dugout and come down to the boundary to shout at him for bowling crap against the India. It's hard to come back after that.
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It's not just that he was bowling crap. He was given instructions by the coach to take the pace off the ball and bowl according to the conditions, and he still bowled the garbage attempted yorkers and short balls, all of which were dispatched with ease on a pitch that didn't have much pace to begin with.

Being a poor bowler is one thing, being a poor bowler who is also delusional and unwilling to listen to reason makes it even worse.
 
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