Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has opened up about the harsh realities of international cricket, calling it an "unforgiving arena" where players are often judged by their failures rather than their consistency.
The speedster made the remarks after starring in Pakistan's narrow six-run win over Sri Lanka in the opening ODI on Tuesday, where his four-wicket haul turned the match in his team's favour.
Haris, who has been under fire since his expensive outing in the Asia Cup final against India, spoke candidly about the pressures of performance and public expectation. "Humaray lıye koi maafi nahi hoti (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 conference.
The 30-year-old pacer had gone for 50 runs in just 3.4 overs during the Asia Cup final, a match India won comfortably. Reflecting on that rough day, Haris said that even the best bowlers face such moments when plans fail to materialize.
"The main thing is you don't give up. You don't die from a bad day. We just keep belief in our skills and keep on working on rectifying mistakes but as a professional cricketer any bowler can have a bad day," he added.
Haris also addressed the backlash from fans and critics, urging them to understand that players always give their all, even when the results are disappointing. "No player likes to be criticised, yes everyone has his opinion but like I said for us, there is no forgiveness. You might have 10 good matches and one bad game and everyone will remember the bad game," he remarked.
The pacer, who recently served a two-match suspension for making offensive gestures during the Asia Cup, said he has learned from those mistakes and is eager to move forward.
Looking ahead, Haris expressed his desire to represent Pakistan in Test cricket as well, provided he is informed in advance to prepare accordingly. ".I want to play Tests also for Pakistan. I am ready whenever the selectors or the Board want me for Tests but my only point is to inform us in advance so that we can go and prepare for red-ball cricket where you have to bowl a lot of overs in a day," he said.
With his latest spell against Sri Lanka, Haris Rauf reminded fans that resilience-not perfection-defines a true fast bowler.
