Lahore Qalandars’ Haris Rauf has been ruled out of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) after dislocating his shoulder during last night’s defeat to Karachi Kings, the franchise said on Sunday.
In a press release, the franchise said that Haris fell on his shoulder in the 20th over while completing a catch to dismiss Kings’ Hasan Ali.
“Despite the injury, he walked off with his arm strapped and underwent scans. Rauf had an exceptional performance, bowling the most economical four overs last night, conceding 22 runs with one wicket, playing a crucial role in the final over to pull the game,” the Qalandars said.
It went on to say that after consultation, the medical panel had concluded that Haris needed four to six weeks to recover, forcing him to miss the PSL season.
The press release quoted Team Director Sameen Rana, as saying that Haris had been a crucial asset to the team’s bowling attack and his absence would be felt.
“It’s not a major injury or any broken bone, but considering him as a valuable asset for Pakistan, we didn’t want to risk his national prospects. Lahore Qalandars remain determined and focused on delivering strong performances in the remaining PSL matches,” he said.
Meanwhile, Qalandars’ skipper Shaheen Afridi said the team was deeply saddened by Haris’ injury, adding that it was painful to see him missing out as he had been a pillar of strength for their side.
“His absence will be felt,” Shaheen said.
“It’s indeed a setback for the franchise, but he is also Pakistan’s main bowler, and with a lot of cricket coming up, a pragmatic approach was to give him maximum time to recover,” Shaheen said, adding that he wished the pacer a speedy recovery and we eagerly await his return to the field.
“Our thoughts and support are with him during this challenging time,” he added.
It should be mentioned that earlier this month, the Pakistan Cricket Board had terminated Haris’ central contract following a probe into his alleged refusal to join Pakistan’s Test squad for the tour of Australia 2023-24.
Last year in November, chief selector Wahab Riaz said that Haris had refused to take part in the Test tour of Australia and told selectors he wanted to focus on white ball cricket to manage his workload.
“After a thorough hearing process conducted by a PCB committee and taking into consideration the views of all stakeholders involved in the matter, Haris’ central contract has been terminated from December 1, 2023, and no NOC (No objection certificate) to play any foreign league will be granted up to June 30, 2024,” the cricket board said.
