Why Haris Rauf is Not Playing Today in BAN vs PAK 1st ODI?

The Pakistan Cricket Team are up against the Bangladesh in the first ODI of the three-match series. The match between the two teams is taking place at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka on Wednesday, 11 March.

Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz won the toss and elected to field first. As expected, Pakistan made quite a few changes and handed debuts to three players as they aim to prepare a team for the ODI World Cup 2027.

However, they didn't include the experienced fast bowler, Haris Rauf, in the playing 11. The pacer, who is amongst the best ODI bowlers in the world, was expected to form a fast-bowling duo with the captain Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Why Haris Rauf is Not Playing Today in BAN vs PAK 1st ODI?

Pakistan dropped Haris Rauf despite him being one of the fastest bowlers in the world. Mohammad Wasim Jr has been included in the team as Haris Rauf replacement as they look to try out new combinations ahead of the next year's World Cup to be played on African soil.

This comes as a big setback for Haris Rauf as he was also dropped from the squad of the T20 World Cup 2026, where Pakistan got eliminated in the Super 8 stage.

Rauf has been one of the finest performers for Pakistan in the ODIs. In the recent series against Sri Lanka, he came up with a magical performance and picked up 9 wickets in the three matches that he played.

On the back of that performance, it was almost certain that he would play in the ICC T20 World Cup but Pakistan opted for a different route. Another reason behind his snub for the BAN vs PAK 1st ODI could be the conditions as pitches in Bangladesh are not suitable for the pacers and playing three genuine fast bowlers would not have been ideal.

Pakistan Bundled Out Cheaply

Pakistan have been bundled out for just 114 runs in the first ODI against Bangladesh under the leadership of Shaheen Shah Afridi. Fast bowler Nahid Rana starred for the home team with the ball as he returned figures of 5-24 in seven overs.

All-rounder Faheem Ashraf top-scored for Pakistan with 37 runs, however, he was unable to bail them out of trouble. Bangladesh are already ahead in this match and would be looking to take a lead in this series.

Coming to this series, the likes of Babar Azam and Saim Ayub, two of the best batsmen in the world, have been dropped. In the first ODI, they handed debuts to three players. They would be hoping that these players can cement their place in the national team.