Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf has equalled an all-time Pakistan record with a stellar outing in the second T20I against Australia in Sydney. Rauf, who has been spitting venom in the ongoing white-ball tour of Australia, was once again crucial in taking apart the opposition line-up.
The Aussies had won the toss and opted to bat first. Rauf was right on the money from his first over itself. He took the wickets of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Josh Inglis in his opening over before returning back in the later overs to take out Tim David and Xavier Bartlett.
With his four wickets, the speedster has levelled Shadab Khan's record of most wickets taken by a Pakistan bowler in T20Is. He ended the day with figures of 4/22 to level the 107 wickets taken by Shadab.
Most wickets for Pakistan in T20Is:
1 - Haris Rauf: 107 wickets
2 - Shadab Khan: 107 wickets
3 - Shahid Afridi: 97 wickets
4 - Shaheen Shah Afridi: 96 wickets
5 - Umar Gul: 85 wickets
Rauf was lethal with the ball in the ODI series too. He picked up 10 wickets in three matches, including a five-wicket haul in the second ODI. The pacer was adjudged the Player of the series for his exploits.
Coming back to the ongoing T20I, the Aussies made 148 after opting to bat first. They didn't make any changes to the Playing XI from the previous game, while Pakistan brought in wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem in place of wicketkeeper batter Haseebullah Khan.
"We'll have a bat. Nice to get a win on the board to start the series. It was only 7 overs, but I enjoyed how everyone went about it. We've got a really good bowling lineup. Heaps of options at our disposal," Australia stand-in captain Josh Inglis had said at the toss.
"Fighting spirit was fantastic (in Brisbane). Want to keep that here as well. One change - Sufiyan Muqeem comes in. He's a good bowler, bowled well in the emerging tournament," Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan said at the toss.
Pakistan (Playing XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Agha Salman, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem
Australia (Playing XI): Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis(w/c), Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
