Image Credit- PSL
With a dislocated shoulder, Haris Rauf will miss the
remainder of PSL 2024. The fast bowler for Lahore Qalandars sustained the
injury during Saturday’s game against Karachi Kings, and it will take him four
to six weeks to heal.
Rauf hurt himself off the second-to-last ball in a close match, dismissing
Hasan Ali with a diving catch that came in from long off. Rauf took the catch
cleanly, tripping forward and hurting himself right away. Despite Rauf’s strong
ball handling performance, it was not enough to save the reigning champions
from losing for the fourth time in a row.
“The medical panel, after consultation, concluded
that he needs four to six weeks to recover, forcing him to miss the PSL
season,” the Qalandars said in a statement.
After a difficult start, he finished his four overs
with a respectable 1 for 22. Prior to last night’s match, Rauf was averaging 11
runs per over and had taken just two wickets in that time.
Rauf’s injury brings an end to a challenging few months for him both on and off
the field—the first since he made his debut with Qalandars. He struggled to
have an influence during Pakistan’s World Cup in India, when they were unable
to advance past the group stages. While taking seven wickets in a 4-1 series
loss for Pakistan in New Zealand, he did so at an average of 10.61 per over,
which helped to somewhat correct that form.
But by then, he and the PCB were already experiencing
a deteriorating relationship. Before the games in New Zealand, he had declined
to play in Pakistan’s Test series in Australia, which infuriated head selector
Wahab Riaz and later team director Mohammad Hafeez. Rauf stated that he had a
contract with the Melbourne Stars in the BBL and that he wanted to focus on his
white-ball skills. After some time, the PCB gave him permission to participate
in the league—but only until he could go to New Zealand to join the Pakistani
team.
Rauf’s absence will be a significant loss for a
Qalandars team that is already struggling, despite his recent form. Rashid
Khan, the Afghan superstar who has been essential to their success in prior
seasons, is not available to them this season. Even though the T20 World Cup
isn’t until three months from now, Rauf will need to make sure he has enough
time to prepare for the competition.