Akif Javed replaces Haris Rauf for tri-nation series

KARACHI: Left-arm fast bowler Akif Javed has been called up as a replacement for Haris Rauf in the tri-nation ODI series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Tuesday.

Haris Rauf has been advised to rest after sustaining a muscular sprain in the lower chest wall during Saturday’s match against New Zealand.

“The replacement is only for the tri-nation ODI series, as Haris Rauf is expected to be fully fit and available for selection for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” a PCB spokesperson said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s selection committee held a meeting to discuss possible replacements, with Mohammad Wasim Jr., Akif Javed, and Mohammad Ali among the names considered.

Earlier, the PCB shared an update on pacer Haris Rauf’s injury he sustained in the PAK vs NZ game of the tri-nation series.

Concerns were raised over the right-arm quick’s availability for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 after he left the field following a side strain in the February 8 game at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

“Following MRI and X-ray scans, it has been confirmed that Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf sustained a muscular sprain in the lower chest wall region during Saturday’s match against New Zealand. The injury is not serious and he is expected to be fully recovered for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which commences in Karachi on 19 February,” the PCB stated in a statement.

The PCB medical board has decided to rest the Pakistan pacer for the February 12 game against South Africa as a precautionary measure and part of his ongoing rehabilitation.

It is pertinent to note here that New Zealand beat Pakistan in the first game of the tri-nation series on the back of Glenn Phillips’s unbeaten ton after Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell’s fifties.

Pakistan will face South Africa in Karachi on 12 February in a virtual semi-final of the series as the Kiwis have already secured their place in the grand finale with two out two wins.