Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf opens up on harsh criticism, says failure is part of the game

Pakistan's premium fast bowler Haris Rauf has opened up about the harsh criticism he’s faced over the past few months, saying that players are ‘humans, not robots’ and that failure is part of the game. The Pakistan pacer’s comments came after his match-winning spell in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, where he took four wickets for 61 runs to help his side clinch a thrilling six-run victory. The match went right down to the wire with the hosts holding their nerves in the crunch moments.

The fiery fast bowler, who had a forgettable outing in the Asia Cup final against India, conceding 50 runs in just 3.4 overs, said he has learned to stay strong despite the constant scrutiny. Rauf also served a two-match suspension earlier for making offensive gestures during the same tournament and admitted that the criticism in Pakistan can be ‘unforgiving.’

“There is no forgiveness for us", we are expected to perform like robots, but we are human beings and we can have bad days,” he said during the post-match press conference. “The main thing is you don’t give up. You don’t die from a bad day. We keep belief in our skills and keep working on rectifying mistakes.”

Rauf urged fans to recognise that even professional cricketers go through rough patches and deserve empathy. “No player likes to be criticised. You might have 10 good matches and one bad game, and everyone remembers only the bad one,” he said. “Fans should never doubt that we try our best every time.”

The 32-year-old also expressed his wish to return to red-ball cricket. “I want to play Tests for Pakistan too. I just need to be informed in advance so I can prepare for red-ball cricket properly,” he added.