KARACHI: Former Australian captains Aaron Finch and Michael Clarke have expressed surprise over Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf’s omission from the national squad for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup despite his impressive performance in the recently concluded Big Bash League (PBL) 15.
Rauf, who was the leading wicket-taker with 20 wickets in 11 matches in PPL 15, missed out on Pakistan’s T20 squad for the mega-event in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
During a recent discussion at a local sports forum, Finch, surprised by Rauf’s neglect, emphasized the importance of impact players in T20 cricket who can change the game in an instant.
“Yeah, I thought… I was really surprised when he wasn’t in the team. I thought he brings that X-factor,” Finch said.
The 39-year-old further explained his vision, highlighting the value of wicket-taking options at all stages of the T20 competition, even if they are occasionally expensive.
“Yes, he can be expensive at times, but if you’ve got a real wicket-taker in all three phases, that’s the most important thing for me in T20 cricket – especially finding a way to get wickets on some of the flat surfaces. So, yes, that was a big surprise for me,” he added.
Clarke, meanwhile, said the right-arm pacer must have been shocked by the decision, which reflected the selectors’ strategy of choosing players based on conditions and specific roles rather than domestic league performances.
“Surprise.
The 44-year-old also underlined the importance of current match practice and pace when picking a squad for a major ICC tournament, noting that form plays a major role in selection.
“But I think form is also important. When you pick a World Cup squad, you want players who go into the tournament with some cricket and good form. So let’s see what happens,” he added.
Under the ICC’s ‘Fusion Formula’, Pakistan will play all its matches in Sri Lanka as the Pakistan and India teams will not tour each other for ICC events in a given period, but instead compete at neutral venues.
If Pakistan advance to the semi-finals and final, both the knockout matches will be held in Colombo. Otherwise, the semi-final and final will be held in Kolkata and Ahmedabad respectively.
The 2009 champions will open their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo, followed by matches against USA on February 10, arch-rivals India on February 15 and Namibia on February 18.
The Super Eight phase is scheduled to be held from February 21 to March 1, with the matches split between Colombo and Kolkata.
The first semi-final will be played on March 3, the second semi-final on March 5 and the final on March 8 in either Ahmedabad or Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for T20 World Cup:
Salman Ali Agha (catch), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faqar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafe (week), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shatab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi (Yuk Shah Afridi)
comments