Mike Hesson personally throws Haris Rauf out of Pakistan T20 WC squad - Tilak Varma is the reason!!

Pakistan National Team Head Coach Mike Hesson has made many tough calls in the past, which have benefited the Pakistan team in the tournament, and now he has reportedly shown disinterest in picking Haris Rauf for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Every nation is gearing up for the ICC T20 World Cup, and so is Pakistan. Pakistan are scheduled to play all their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka and hence scheduled a series in the island nation recently, which ended in a tie between the two teams after a rain-affected contest.

While head coach Mike Hesson is preparing for the World Cup and setting up a final squad based on tactical understanding, the PCB, on the contrary, has issued a warning to the ICC that if Bangladesh's issues are not sorted, then they can also withdraw from the ICC mega-event next month.

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Mike Hesson doesn't want Haris Rauf in the team for the T20 World Cup

As per the latest reports, the Pakistan team's national coach, Mike Hesson, who had success with some daring moves in the Asia Cup 2025, has decided to make an audacious move ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup as well.

The former New Zealand star has decided to snub Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf from the squad for the upcoming World Cup. Haris Rauf is a veteran of the format and has picked 133 international wickets in the format for Pakistan. Rauf has had a promising BBL season with 18 wickets in 10 matches.

However, he is known to be very uneconomical and has given away lots of runs in the Asia Cup, especially in the final against India in 2025 where Tilak Varma destroyed him. Hesson would hence plan to not have him picked for the marquee tournament, after he was snubbed from the recent bilateral against Sri Lanka.

🚨 NO HARIS RAUF IN T20 WORLD CUP 🚨

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Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah to lead pace attack for Pakistan

Likely, Shaheen Afridi, the left-arm speedster, who has also been named the captain of the ODI side, will return to Pakistan's squad for the ICC T20 World Cup. Currently, he is under rehab after a slight injury setback in the BBL.

On the other hand, Naseem Shah, the other pacer who also missed out on the Asia Cup, will return for Pakistan this time around. He played for Pakistan back in the third T20I against Sri Lanka and picked a wicket, while he had a promising ILT20 debut with the Desert Vipers, where he picked 12 wickets for the champion side.

Alongside these two frontline pacers, Mohammad Waseem Jr. has also been a part of Pakistan proceedings in the format. Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, the two spinners alongside Abrar Ahmed, will play a massive role, with the dominance of spin bowling in the subcontinent.

The upcoming Australia series will set the benchmark for the final squad for the ICC T20 World Cup for Pakistan. Mike Hesson would likely ensure every player he plans to have in the marquee ICC tournament a spot in that series.

Will Babar Azam be picked for the ICC tournament after a flop BBL debut?

Pakistan veteran Babar Azam has not received any kind of special treatment from foreign coaches, be it Jason Gillespie or Mike Hesson. Gillespie snubbed him from the Test side against England, while Hesson showed him the exit door before the Asia Cup 2025.

Babar made his comeback to the shortest format for Pakistan, but has not had very impressive outings except for a handful of runs. However, a lot depended on his BBL debut for the Sydney Sixers. In the BBL season, having played 10 games, he managed just 202 runs, with just 4 double-digit scores, of which two were half-centuries.

However, what has been horrific for Babar and Pakistan is the veteran's strike rate, which is around 104. After his dismal show in the BBL, Babar Azam's chances of making it to the T20 World Cup are very slim, especially under Mike Hesson.

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