Rauf and Mir register unwanted World Cup records against Australia
Pakistan bowlers were completely out of ideas as the Australian openers were on the prowl in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in Bengaluru. It was a tough outing for the bowlers as Australia eventually posted 367/9. Usama Mir, who made his ODI World Cup debut struggled to find his length properly and went for runs. Haris Rauf also bowled a very expensive spell.
Why does this story matter?
Pakistan bowlers struggled to find the right length on the batting-friendly surface of Bengaluru. They either bowled too full or went for the short-pitched deliveries which were hammered out of the ground by David Warner and Mitchell Marsh. The duo slammed 18 sixes in tandem. Pakistan bowlers later came into the game with their slower balls and managed to restrict Australia to 367/9.
A forgettable World Cup debut for Usama Mir
Before Mir came to bowl, his first blunder of the day was dropping Warner's catch early on. Mir was introduced when the Australian openers were set. He tried giving the ball more air and was getting dispatched for batters. Apart from Steve Smith's dismissal, he had a forgettable outing as he finished with 1/82 from his nine overs.
Most runs conceded by a Pakistani bowler in WC debut
As per Cricbuzz, Mir has conceded the most runs by a Pakistan bowler in his ODI WC debut. Shaheen Shah Afridi holds second place with his figures of 2/70 (10 overs) against Australia in the 2019 ODI World Cup. Shadab Khan (2/63) and Sarfaraz Nawaz (1/63) against England (2019) and Australia (1975) form the top four most expensive Pakistani bowlers in ODI WC debut.
A spell of two halves for Haris Rauf
Rauf conceded 24 runs in his first over as Marsh slammed three consecutive boundaries before Warner hammered a six. He was wayward with his line and length during his first few overs. However, he returned with more conviction varying his pace and scalped three wickets. Rauf removed Warner, Josh Inglis, and Marnus Labuschagne. He finished with 3/83 from his eight overs (ER: 10.38).
Second-most runs conceded by a Pakistani bowler in WC innings
Rauf finished with 3/83 against Australia, which is the second-most runs conceded by a Pakistan bowler in an ODI World Cup innings. He is only behind Hasan Ali's bowling figures of 1/84 against India in Manchester in the 2019 ODI World Cup. Wahab Riaz with his 2/82 against England in Nottingham holds the third place. Mir's 1/82 puts him in fourth place.
A look at Mir's ODI numbers
Mir made his ODI debut for Pakistan in January 2023 against New Zealand in Karachi. He has featured in nine matches till now and has scalped 12 wickets. He owns an economy of 5.85 while scalping a solitary four-wicket haul. The 27-year-old has claimed 75 List A wickets from 49 matches at average more than 29.
Here are Rauf's ODI numbers
Rauf has tallied 61 ODI wickets from 32 matches at an average of 24.95. His economy rate of 5.85 is slightly on the higher side. He has scalped four four-fers and a solitary five-wicket haul. This is his maiden ODI World Cup and he has claimed eight scalps from four matches at 29.l2. He has 66 List A wickets in 36 matches.
Fourth-highest wicket-taker in the 2023 ODI World Cup
Rauf has claimed eight wickets from four matches in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. He is only behind the likes of Mitchell Santner (11), Jasprit Bumrah (10), Matt Henry and Shaheen Afridi (both nine). Among all the bowlers mentioned above, Rauf has the worst economy rate (7.06). In 2023, Rauf has accumulated 32 ODI wickets from 17 matches at 24.56.
