Shaheen Afridi wants Haris Rauf to skip Ireland T20I series

Pakistan's fast bowler Shaheen Afridi suggested that fellow bowler Haris Rauf should not play in the upcoming Ireland T20I series. 

Haris suffered from a shoulder injury during Pakistan Super League season nine and has been ruled out from cricket of any sort till his recovery. 

Speaking in post-match presentation, Shaheen cited Haris' recent return to bowling as the reason for this recommendation, stating that the series might come too early for him.

"Haris Rauf has started bowling since the last 3 days. I would prefer he doesn't play the Ireland series as it'll be too early for him, but we have 4 matches in England that he can play before the T20 World Cup. He is Pakistan's main bowler in the middle overs and has 90 T20I wickets – he is Pakistan's main bowler in white-ball cricket who can strike in the middle overs and he has pace," Shaheen said.

Shaheen also shared his recent experience, stating that he had not played cricket for 36 days since the last Pakistan Super League game. Following the league, he took time off for Eid celebrations and participated in a training camp in Kakul. Shaheen emphasized the importance of giving his body time to recover and working on his skills. 

"Before this series, I hadn't played any cricket for 36 days since our last PSL game. After that, we had Eid with guests, etc. It's not easy - we had the Kakul training camp as well and then just 2-3 days of practice. I wanted to give my body some time and work on my skills. When you give your body time, you feel better, and I did that in these 3 matches. I tried to focus on getting my rhythm back and work on my accuracy," he further added.

It is worth noting that Shaheen played a key role in Pakistan's victory over New Zealand on Saturday, which allowed the home side to level the five-match Twenty20 International series at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The series ended in a 2-2 draw.

In the final match, Shaheen was Pakistan's most valuable player with the ball. His performance in the 15th over turned the game in Pakistan's favor as he dismissed James Neesham and Zakary Foulkes on back-to-back deliveries. Shaheen concluded his spell with remarkable figures of 4/30.