Haris Rauf 'revitalised' for New Zealand series after rest

Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf said his energies have revived after rest and he is ready to hit the field again in the upcoming limited-over series against New Zealand. 

The 29-year-old paceman who was rested for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan recently said that he was feeling physically fresh and motivated for the home series. 

“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. 

He said that with the World Cup closing in, the Men in Green will try to claim the series as it was important to help them prepare for the mega event. 

“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):

14 Apr — 1st T20I, Lahore

15 Apr — 2nd T20I, Lahore

17 Apr — 3rd T20I, Lahore

20 Apr — 4th T20I, Rawalpindi

24 Apr — 5th T20I, Rawalpindi

27 Apr — 1st ODI, Rawalpindi

29 Apr — 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi

3 May — 3rd ODI, Karachi

5 May — 4th ODI, Karachi

7 May — 5th ODI, Karachi