Pak vs NZ: Haris Rauf eager to get back on field ahead of New Zealand series

Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf, who was recently rested for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, is eager to get back on the cricket field ahead of the limited-overs series against New Zealand on home soil.

“I got to rest after a long time so it will help me when I get back on the field. I’m physically fresh now and my energy level is better than before,” Rauf told Geo News.

The speedster said that the New Zealand series was important, hoping the Green Shirts will win it. "The World Cup is also around the corner and this series will help us prepare for that," he added. 

“We are not thinking about the fact that the New Zealand team doesn’t have renowned players. They still have players with international experience in their squad.”

He was also satisfied to see that Pakistan have adequate resources in the fast bowling department.

“The competition is increasing for fast bowlers and it’s good that we have a backup in this department,” he said. “Ihsanullah is also a good addition to our squad.”

“The cricketing world speaks very highly of Pakistani bowlers,” he added.

Pakistan squads

T20I: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman Khan

ODI: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir. Reserves: Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed and Tayyab Tahir

Series schedule (T20Is to start at 9pm; ODIs to begin at 3.30pm):

April 14 — 1st T20I, Lahore

April 15 — 2nd T20I, Lahore

April 17 — 3rd T20I, Lahore

April 20 — 4th T20I, Rawalpindi

April 24 — 5th T20I, Rawalpindi

April 26 — 1st ODI, Rawalpindi

April 30 — 2nd ODI, Karachi

May 3 — 3rd ODI, Karachi

May 5 — 4th ODI, Karachi

May 7 — 5th ODI, Karachi