ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Haris Rauf unavailable? Final decision made on pacer's availability

Pakistan have received a major boost ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy campaign as the fast bowler Haris Rauf has been declared fit for the start of the tournament. Rauf suffered an injury during the tri-series recently and didn't play after the first match.

Haris Rauf's availability brings a sense of calmness in the Pakistan team which has been suffering from injury issues lately. A few days ago, opener Saim Ayub was ruled out of the tournament as he continues to recover from the injury he sustained during the South Africa tour.

Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Mohammad Amir all but confirms Haris Rauf won’t play CT

Haris Rauf declared fit for Champions Trophy opener

According to PTI, Haris Rauf will be available for Pakistan's opening game of the Champions Trophy against New Zealand, which will be played in Karachi on February 19.

The fast bowler had suffered a muscular strain in his lower chest wall during the first ODI of the tri-series. He went off the field after bowling just 6.2 overs in the game and didn't return again. Later, he was ruled out of the entire series.

There was a danger regarding his participation but Pakistan will feel a sense of relief after updates regarding his comeback. A source close to the Pakistani team revealed to PTI that Rauf has recovered well after some rest.

"Haris (Rauf) is okay now and the rest given to him after the first match of the Tri-Series has helped him recover well," the source was quoted as saying.

Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir had earlier expressed concerns over Rauf's availability stating that the fast bowler would require five-six weeks to be completely fit if he has a side strain.

Other fast bowlers in Pakistan squad

Without Rauf, Pakistan's bowling line-up looked thin in experience. The other fast bowlers in the squad are Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Hasnain with Faheem Ashraf as the fast bowling allrounder.

Their inexperience was even exposed in the tri-series where the Men in Green constantly suffered for important wickets. Pakistan won just one game in the series, against South Africa in a match where they chased down more than 350 runs.

They lost to New Zealand in both the group stage and the final. The opening match of Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 19 in Karachi against the same opposition.

Haris Rauf ODI numbers

Rauf has excellent numbers in ODIs and is a key part of Pakistan's white ball teams. The 31-year-old has picked up 83 wickets in just 46 ODIs at an average of 25.73 and an economy rate of 5.78.

Rauf is a genuine wicket-taker in the middle overs and has the ability to bowl at speeds around 150 kph on a regular basis. His extra pace gives him an added edge over the other bowlers and makes him a threat to the opposition.

Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy 2025

Mohammad Rizwan (C) (wk), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.