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Haris Rauf Post-Match Interview (Rawalpindi)
Question: "We've seen in Pakistan's bowling that we take wickets early on, but we leak a lot of runs against the tail-enders. After scoring 194/6 (in a previous match/scenario), we conceded over a hundred runs. We saw a similar pattern in the Test match against South Africa as well. So, do you feel there is a need for some improvement in the bowling, or what are the loopholes that Pakistan should cover in their bowling?"
Haris Rauf: "If you talk about a match like today's in my opinion it's not easy to bowl with the dew factor. As a bowler, you keep trying, and your constant effort is to get wickets. And Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), winning the match is very important. I focus on winning the match, and all the boys put in their full effort. Every member of the bowling unit, because you win any match as a team. And the way the bowling partnerships work—sometimes you don't get a wicket from one end, so you try to contain the runs from the other end. That was the plan, and the effort was to take as many wickets as possible, which would be better for us in the match."
Question: "Haris, after a long time, you recently played two red-ball First-Class matches. How much did that help in your preparation for the One-Day format? Secondly, is Haris Rauf looking towards making a comeback in Test cricket? And thirdly, when you were bowling the death overs today, the temperature in Rawalpindi was 9°C. Those are tough conditions, especially for a fast bowler, because you're sweating as well."
Haris Rauf: "As a player or as a bowler, you assess your preparation based on your next assignment. Since I knew we had our ODI matches coming up, and for that, you need to bowl long spells, that's why I went and played four-day cricket. It helps a lot because you need to have enough fuel in your body to be able to bowl 40-45 overs a week. I went with that exact plan, played four-day cricket, and it benefited me significantly. Obviously, when you play One-Day cricket, you have three matches in a week, so you need to bowl 30 overs, and your body must have that capacity. That was the mindset.
Regarding your question about four-day cricket, or Test cricket, why not? As a player, everyone aims to represent their country in every format, and that's my goal too. I will, whenever I get the chance, but my priority is that your preparation beforehand is crucial. I've already played two matches; if I get another opportunity, I'll go play four-day cricket again.
As for the temperature in the ground today, it's very difficult for a bowler. You finish a spell, and your body is warm, but when you return later, the cold makes your body stiffen up again. And then, to come in and bowl with your proper rhythm isn't easy. The effort was just to keep moving constantly during the fielding periods. Those were the plans."
Question: "Haris, it's often said that you perform very well outside of Pakistan. But today you performed very well in Pindi as well. Was this purely an advantage of your home ground? Because you are from here and have a lot of exposure to Pindi conditions."
Haris Rauf: "People say a lot of things—that you perform well in one place and not in another. You make a plan for yourself someone else also makes a plan for you. But the plan of Almighty Allah is the most important in my opinion. And no one can change that plan. Other than that, you continue to put in your effort. As a player, where does the team need you? Where can you do well for the team? I have never held back my efforts. I have always tried to make an impact as a player. Sometimes it goes well, and sometimes it goes poorly.
And I believe that in our field, there is very little forgiveness. There is no forgiveness for a player. You perform well in 10 matches and don't perform well in one, and people will definitely remember that one bad match. They forget the 10 good matches. Everyone's expectation in our field is that the players must perform all the time. I don't think that happens, and one has to have a little bit of patience as a player and as a fan, in my opinion. But like I said there is no forgiveness in our field; we just have to perform."
Question: "I have two questions. The first is that Pakistan team's big players, the main senior players, perform very well in bilateral series, like your four wickets, but whenever a major tournament comes, or a big match, like the Asia Cup final, we see that our senior bowlers struggle. What is the reason Pakistani bowlers struggle in big, crucial matches, especially in the semi-finals or finals? Secondly, what can you say about Babar Azam's catch today?"
Haris Rauf: "I said this earlier: there is no forgiveness in our field, right? Because everyone thinks that we are robots and must perform in every match. 'How can they be wrong?' We're not put into a machine. As human beings, you also make mistakes, and you keep trying to learn. And as I said, people don't remember the 10 good matches, but they definitely remember the one very bad match. Some of it is people's opinion; that is their opinion. But as players, we believe in ourselves and never let doubt creep into our skills. A bad day happens, and it passes. It's gone. You move forward with your new plans and goals. A person doesn't die if he doesn't perform for the team. The next day, the sun rises, and you take a breath again and try to make your life better.
Secondly, about Babar Azam's catch—no doubt, with a partnership going on at that moment, taking such a crucial catch gives a big boost to the team. It was an outstanding catch, in my opinion."
Question: "We've seen in Pakistan's bowling that we take wickets early on, but we leak a lot of runs against the tail-enders. After scoring 194/6 (in a previous match/scenario), we conceded over a hundred runs. We saw a similar pattern in the Test match against South Africa as well. So, do you feel there is a need for some improvement in the bowling, or what are the loopholes that Pakistan should cover in their bowling?"
Haris Rauf: "If you talk about a match like today's in my opinion it's not easy to bowl with the dew factor. As a bowler, you keep trying, and your constant effort is to get wickets. And Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), winning the match is very important. I focus on winning the match, and all the boys put in their full effort. Every member of the bowling unit, because you win any match as a team. And the way the bowling partnerships work—sometimes you don't get a wicket from one end, so you try to contain the runs from the other end. That was the plan, and the effort was to take as many wickets as possible, which would be better for us in the match."
Question: "Haris, after a long time, you recently played two red-ball First-Class matches. How much did that help in your preparation for the One-Day format? Secondly, is Haris Rauf looking towards making a comeback in Test cricket? And thirdly, when you were bowling the death overs today, the temperature in Rawalpindi was 9°C. Those are tough conditions, especially for a fast bowler, because you're sweating as well."
Haris Rauf: "As a player or as a bowler, you assess your preparation based on your next assignment. Since I knew we had our ODI matches coming up, and for that, you need to bowl long spells, that's why I went and played four-day cricket. It helps a lot because you need to have enough fuel in your body to be able to bowl 40-45 overs a week. I went with that exact plan, played four-day cricket, and it benefited me significantly. Obviously, when you play One-Day cricket, you have three matches in a week, so you need to bowl 30 overs, and your body must have that capacity. That was the mindset.
Regarding your question about four-day cricket, or Test cricket, why not? As a player, everyone aims to represent their country in every format, and that's my goal too. I will, whenever I get the chance, but my priority is that your preparation beforehand is crucial. I've already played two matches; if I get another opportunity, I'll go play four-day cricket again.
As for the temperature in the ground today, it's very difficult for a bowler. You finish a spell, and your body is warm, but when you return later, the cold makes your body stiffen up again. And then, to come in and bowl with your proper rhythm isn't easy. The effort was just to keep moving constantly during the fielding periods. Those were the plans."
Question: "Haris, it's often said that you perform very well outside of Pakistan. But today you performed very well in Pindi as well. Was this purely an advantage of your home ground? Because you are from here and have a lot of exposure to Pindi conditions."
Haris Rauf: "People say a lot of things—that you perform well in one place and not in another. You make a plan for yourself someone else also makes a plan for you. But the plan of Almighty Allah is the most important in my opinion. And no one can change that plan. Other than that, you continue to put in your effort. As a player, where does the team need you? Where can you do well for the team? I have never held back my efforts. I have always tried to make an impact as a player. Sometimes it goes well, and sometimes it goes poorly.
And I believe that in our field, there is very little forgiveness. There is no forgiveness for a player. You perform well in 10 matches and don't perform well in one, and people will definitely remember that one bad match. They forget the 10 good matches. Everyone's expectation in our field is that the players must perform all the time. I don't think that happens, and one has to have a little bit of patience as a player and as a fan, in my opinion. But like I said there is no forgiveness in our field; we just have to perform."
Question: "I have two questions. The first is that Pakistan team's big players, the main senior players, perform very well in bilateral series, like your four wickets, but whenever a major tournament comes, or a big match, like the Asia Cup final, we see that our senior bowlers struggle. What is the reason Pakistani bowlers struggle in big, crucial matches, especially in the semi-finals or finals? Secondly, what can you say about Babar Azam's catch today?"
Haris Rauf: "I said this earlier: there is no forgiveness in our field, right? Because everyone thinks that we are robots and must perform in every match. 'How can they be wrong?' We're not put into a machine. As human beings, you also make mistakes, and you keep trying to learn. And as I said, people don't remember the 10 good matches, but they definitely remember the one very bad match. Some of it is people's opinion; that is their opinion. But as players, we believe in ourselves and never let doubt creep into our skills. A bad day happens, and it passes. It's gone. You move forward with your new plans and goals. A person doesn't die if he doesn't perform for the team. The next day, the sun rises, and you take a breath again and try to make your life better.
Secondly, about Babar Azam's catch—no doubt, with a partnership going on at that moment, taking such a crucial catch gives a big boost to the team. It was an outstanding catch, in my opinion."
