Watch- Haris Rauf suffers brutal injury; taken out of the field in New Zealand

Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf was forced to leave the field after suffering an injury while batting during the second ODI of the ongoing series against New Zealand. Young pacer Naseem Shah, who was brought in as a concussion substitute, impressed with the bat and scored his maiden ODI half-century.

Pakistan, led by Mohammad Rizwan, was asked to chase down a 293-run target against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday, April 2. Haris Rauf suffered the injury while batting when Haris Rauf was struck on the helmet by a sharp bouncer from New Zealand pace bowler Will O'Rourke.

Haris Rauf Replaced by Naseem Shah in Pakistan Batting Lineup

Haris Rauf was struck on the helmet in the 25th over of the run chase. The impact forced him to leave the field, and he was declared retired hurt.

Under the ICC’s concussion substitute rule, Naseem Shah was allowed to replace Rauf despite not being part of the original playing XI. The rule allows a like-for-like replacement if a player sustains a concussion and cannot continue. Naseem Shah stepped in and delivered an impressive batting performance.

According to the rule,” the ICC Match Referee should ordinarily approve a Concussion Replacement Request if the replacement is a like-for-like player whose inclusion will not excessively advantage his/her team for the remainder of the match.”

As per concussion rules
Naseem Shah replaced Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah will bat at number 10#PAKvsNZ pic.twitter.com/ctif0avch8

— Samar Jatt (@Samar_Jattt) April 2, 2025

Naseem Shah, One of the Top Scorers for Pakistan in the Match

Naseem Shah emerged as one of the top scorers for Pakistan in the match. He added a crucial 64-run partnership with Faheem Ashraf for the eighth wicket. The fast bowler scored 51 runs off 44 balls, hitting four boundaries and as many sixes.

Faheem Ashraf scored 73 runs off 80 balls, including six boundaries and three sixes. Pakistan’s top order collapsed, with Babar Azam (1), Mohammad Rizwan (5), and Imam-ul-Haq (3) failing to contribute.

New Zealand successfully defended their 292/8 despite Naseem and Faheem’s efforts. The hosts secured an 84-run victory and sealed the series with one match to spare. Ben Sears starred with a five-wicket haul.

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Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah Batted Very Well - Mohammad Rizwan

Will O'Rourke delivered a fiery opening spell, conceding just eight runs while taking a wicket in his first six overs. The New Zealand pacer hit captain Mohammad Rizwan twice—once on the top hand and again on the biceps.

Mohammad Rizwan admitted that Pakistan’s batting unit struggled and also added that they failed to capitalize on the early swing conditions. He acknowledged the late fightback from Faheem and Naseem but described the overall performance as disappointing for the team.

"We didn't do well as a batting group because at the start of the batting, we didn't utilize the swing, and New Zealand bowled very well," Rizwan said. "Later on, Faheem and Naseem batted very well on a disappointing day for us."

Also read: Mohammad Rizwan is a 'Natural Actor'- Naseem Shah goes no-holds barred on his captain