Haris Rauf Claims Five Wickets Against Australia In Second ODI After His Birthday

Haris Rauf celebrated his 31st birthday by dismantling the Australian batting lineup in the second ODI at Adelaide Oval on Friday, November 8. His performance put Pakistan in a strong position.

Returning to the national team for the Australia tour, Rauf had already made an impact in the first ODI. He took three wickets, although Pakistan narrowly lost by two wickets while defending 203 runs in Melbourne on Monday, November 4.

The pacer was exceptional in the second ODI, claiming five Australian wickets. His victims included Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Aaron Hardie, Glenn Maxwell, and Pat Cummins during his eight-over spell.

Rauf's figures of 5 for 29 marked his second five-wicket haul in ODIs. His previous best was 5 for 18 against Afghanistan a year ago in Hambantota.

Four of Rauf's five wickets were caught behind dismissals. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan had a busy day behind the stumps, taking six catches as Australia struggled to reach 146/9 in 32 overs.

Inglis was caught behind for 18 as Rauf's first victim. Labuschagne followed soon after for just 6 runs. Hardie was dismissed similarly for 14 in the 26th over. Maxwell chopped one onto his stumps in the 28th over.

Maxwell's dismissal left Australia at a precarious 129/7. Rauf completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Australian captain Pat Cummins, who unsuccessfully reviewed a caught-behind decision.

Supporting Roles from Other Bowlers

Naseem Shah joined the action later by removing Mitchell Starc for just one run. Earlier, Shaheen Afridi provided Pakistan with early breakthroughs by dismissing openers Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk during the powerplay.

Opting to field first gave Pakistan an advantage as they aimed to level the series. Mohammad Hasnain also contributed by taking Steve Smith's wicket as part of their four-pronged pace attack.