Wasim Akram snatches ‘run-machine’ tag from Virat Kohli, hands it to Pakistan bowler in savage trolling
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Former Pakistan Captain Wasim Akram, alongside fellow legendary pacer Waqar Younis, trolled Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf, handing him a new tag of 'run-machine' from a bowling point of view. He has been slammed for his lack of red-ball exposure and poor economy, especially against India.
Pakistan lost the Asia Cup 2025; this is just a part of the game, but the way Pakistan players have been left clueless by the Indian team is of major concern to the Men in Green. Frontline pacers like Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf have been left without options once batters like Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma stepped on the accelerator.
Former Pakistani legends have shown concern over the poor bowling technique of the current pacers and have not hoped for any chances of revival in form, due to their lack of participation in first-class cricket.
"He's unfortunately a run machine as a bowler," Wasim Akram trolls Pakistan pacer after Asia Cup disaster
Pakistani legend Wasim Akram has always voiced criticism of any player openly, even if he is from his own nation. This time, Haris Rauf will have to face his attacks after a disastrous performance in the Asia Cup final against India.
Rauf, who has never had a good record against India, had previously been hit for humongous sixes by Indian legend Virat Kohli in Melbourne back in 2022, and now he gave away 50 runs in his 3.4 overs during India's successful chase led by Tilak Varma.
"He's unfortunately a run machine as a bowler, and especially against India. I'm not criticizing him. The whole country's criticizing him, and he doesn't play red-ball cricket. He's not going to improve. If he's not going to play, you don't want a player in your team who refuses to play red-ball cricket. At least play four or five first-class games," Wasim Akram stated.
Wasim Akram cites the lack of red-ball experience as Haris Rauf's major reason for failure
Rauf's struggles were very much evident as he was targeted heavily by the Indian batsmen, especially after he audaciously mocked the Indians in the Super-4 game with provocative gestures.
When India needed 10 runs off the final over, Haris Rauf came in to be hit for a six by the set batter, Tilak Varma. He finally gave away the winning runs to Rinku Singh, who hit him over the mid-wicket fielder for a four.
"The control is not there because he doesn't play red-ball cricket. PCB has to sit down and think, if you're not playing red-ball cricket, thank you very much," Akram emphasized that his concerning abilities are due to the lack of red-ball cricket experience.
Haris Rauf's technical faults identified by former Pakistani legends
In modern-day cricket, whenever pace bowling is talked about, two names often are heard to echo in the ears of the cricket fans: Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram. Keeping aside their unmatchable records, the two Pakistani greats were unplayable on several occasions.
Now, in the Sony Sports post-match show, Akram revealed his discussions with Waqar Younis and shed light on Haris Rauf's technical flaws in his bowling as well as the discrepancies in his strategy.
"You want to improve your length, and his run-up-he's not the smoothest. I was talking to Waqar (Younis), and I asked, how come he hasn't fixed the run-up in the last four or five years since he's been playing? He said he doesn't play red-ball cricket," Akram added.
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Tagged:
Indian National Cricket Team Pakistan National Cricket Team India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Wasim Akram Waqar Younis Haris Rauf Virat Kohli
