Pakistan pace bowler Haris Rauf praised Naseem Shah, a teenage sensation and newcomer in the T20I team, for his fiery pace and his heroism in the first two matches of the Asia Cup 2022. Following the Green Shirts' dominating 155-run victory against Hong Kong on Friday, they have advanced to the Super Fours round of the ongoing Asia Cup, where they will play India for the second time on Sunday (Today).
The team suffered a serious setback on Saturday, though, as right-arm fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani was forced to withdraw from the squad with a side strain.
Haris, on the other hand, seemed convinced that the squad have gained much from their stunning victory against Hong Kong and it boosted the team's morale and spirit.
“I am really happy with the performance of my bowling line-up,” Haris told PCB Digital ahead of Pakistan’s Super 4 clash against India on Sunday in Dubai. “We kept it tight in the first match against India and got a thumping win against Hong Kong. We will try to keep this momentum in the Super 4 stage of the tournament.
“Bowling partnerships are very important in this format of the game and I am really enjoying bowling with the young sensation Naseem Shah. Because of his searing pace, he keeps the opponents on the backfoot, which gives edge to the other bowlers.”
Moreover, he also believes that Pakistan has been successful with the spin attack aside from pacers. Mohammad Nawaz, the top wicket-taker in the group stages with six wickets, and vice skipper Shadab Khan of Pakistan have both excelled as spinners, preventing scoring chances and striking at critical moments.
“India-Pakistan games are always high intensity matches and we are confident to produce a competitive clash on Sunday. It was a nail-biter last Sunday, which went into the last over but 4 September will be a new date and we are hopeful to cross the line this time in Dubai,” he added.