Haris Rauf crowned ICC's player of the month

Pakistan’s Haris Rauf has been named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for November 2024, recognising his pivotal contribution to the Green Shirts' triumph over Australia.

The Pakistani pacer fired on all cylinders on the tour of Australia, snapping up 10 wickets across three ODIs to steer his team to a first ODI series win Down Under in 22 years.

Rauf capped off the month of November with an overall tally of 18 wickets, and scooped the monthly award over India’s Jasprit Bumrah and South Africa’s Marco Jansen.

The 31-year-old’s standout performance came in the second ODI against Australia. As Pakistan trailed 1-0 in the three-match series, Rauf produced a fiery pace-bowling display in Adelaide, claiming figures of 5/29.

Rauf’s spell, marking his second five-wicket haul for Pakistan, saw the hosts bundled out for a mere 163, as Pakistan bounced back into the series with an emphatic nine-wicket triumph.

In the decisive third ODI, the right-arm quick fashioned another couple of wickets and was named Player of the Series as Pakistan emerged winners by a 2-1 margin.

In the three T20Is that followed, Rauf seized five more dismissals, including a four-wicket haul in Sydney, his fourth in T20Is.

Later in the month, as Pakistan toured Zimbabwe, Rauf clinched three more wickets from as many ODIs as the visitors came from behind to clinch a 2-1 series win.