Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: A video of Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has been making the rounds on social media, showing him enjoying a relaxed moment flying kites. The clip, which features Rauf alongside teammate Hasan Ali, comes amid his omission from Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad, and quickly drew reactions from fans online.Rauf faced heavy trolling after the video surfaced, as many questioned his absence from the team.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named a 15-member squad that included stars like Babar Azam but left out both Rauf and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan.Speaking about the selection, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson explained that Rauf had been considered but was not included due to the versatility of the chosen pace attack. “We considered Haris Rauf, Wasim Jr, and Ahmed Daniyal, but they couldn’t make it because the other three – Shaheen, Salman, and Naseem – can bowl in all three phases of the game,” Hesson said.Pakistan opened their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a narrow three-wicket win over the Netherlands in Colombo. Chasing 148, the Salman Agha-led side almost suffered an upset before a fielding lapse gave Faheem Ashraf a lifeline, and he guided Pakistan to victory with three balls to spare.Next up, Pakistan will face the USA on Tuesday at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, aiming to build on their hard-fought start in the tournament.Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad: Salman Ali Agha (Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (Wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (Wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq.
