Haris Rauf in awe of Babar Azam’s captaincy

Haris Rauf heaped praise on Pakistan captain, in a post-match chat, after Pakistan beat New Zealand by 38 runs in the second T20I on Saturday at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

For Pakistan, Rauf once again excelled as he claimed back-to-back four-wicket hauls, taking four wickets and conceding 27 runs from his four overs. In the first T20I, Haris took four wickets for 18 runs in 3.3 overs.

"Back-to-back wins are good for the team and the confidence of boys is up. The ball was gripping today so I tried slower ones after reading the wicket. I don't focus much on milestones and keep my focus on matches and give my 100 percent effort. Wickets are not in my mind as I try to bowl dot balls which are more effective," said Haris.

"I was trying to get a wicket when I came for the second spell and got the wicket of Young which broke their momentum. Personally, I enjoy Babar Azam's batting and after losing wickets in quick succession, then to get back the momentum and set up a good total and scoring a hundred on the last ball was great.

"We were all very excited about it and wanted him to score a hundred and hats off to him. I have played all my cricket under the captaincy of Babar Azam and the way he supports us on the field gives me a lot of confidence. He always consults for field settings, and I stay relaxed under his captaincy and enjoy it. We will try to win the series given the momentum we have at the moment," Haris added.