What’s the story?
After Wahab Riaz’s ankle injury, Pakistan have named 25-year-old left-arm pacer Rumman Raees as his replacement. Riaz injured himself during the opening game of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy 2017 against India at Edgbaston.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) put in a request to the ICC technical committee and the 25-year-old’s inclusion was accepted. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Raees said: “It is a great opportunity for me to make my mark in the team. I was only able to play one match against West Indies (the fourth T20I) but now I am looking to play more matches and perform”.
Raees admitted that India “executed their plans well” but believes that Pakistan will “do better” in the upcoming matches. While he might not get the opportunity to bowl against Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni who he termed as “two of the best batsmen of modern cricket”, he will be hoping he gets the chance against South Africa.
“I always wanted to bowl to the top batsmen in the world which includes de Villiers, who is a dangerous batsman,” he added.
In case you didn’t know…
Before injuring himself, Riaz conceded 87 runs in 8.4 overs in the game against India, which was the most expensive spell in Champions Trophy history. Scans later confirmed that it was a “deltoid ligament complex” after an eversion injury mechanism, which will require a couple of weeks to recover from. which requires two weeks heal.
The Details
Raees was part of Pakistan’s T20I squad against West Indies and made his debut for the national side last year in a T20I. He is yet to play in an ODI for Pakistan although he has picked up 64 wickets in 42 List-A matches at an economy rate of under 5.
What’s next?
If selected, Raees will take part in Pakistan’s remaining two group games against South Africa and Sri Lanka, which Pakistan will need to win to progress through to the semi-final.
Extra Cover: ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Schedule: Full time table with venue ground details, PDF download
Author’s Take
Although the 25-year-old left-arm pacer hasn’t made his ODI debut, he certainly has the credentials and deserves his spot in the squad. While Junaid Khan is likely to replace Riaz in the starting XI against South Africa, Raees certainly offers the captain an alternative should he choose to use it.
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