KARACHI: Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf wants to win trophies for the country after coming close several times over the past four years.

The right-armer was part of the national sides that played the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final, the 2022 Asia Cup final and the T20 World Cup title-decider later that year.

But Haris understands playing finals isn’t enough and with the ICC Champions Trophy round the corner, it’s about time Pakistan, as hosts of the eight-team tournament, turn things around.

“We have been playing together since a long while now and the aim is to help Pakistan win events that can bring fans delight,” Haris told reporters on the sidelines of Pakistan’s training session at the National Bank Stadium here on Monday, ahead of their Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand.

“We have played two finals in the last three, four years but the dream is to finish your career with a title to your name.”

Pakistan’s chances of winning the Champions Trophy look meagre, with the side having lost the recent tri-nation series final against New Zealand last week.

While the side beat South Africa in their last league match of the tournament by chasing down a record 353, Pakistan’s bowlers struggled with taking wickets in the crucial middle over, in the tri-nation series opener against New Zealand.

Pakistan ineffective spin bowling received the most criticism. But Haris said the team had good enough spin bowlers.

“We have a complete bowling unit and it is not like we have only one spinner,” Haris noted. “There’s Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah, too, along with Abrar Ahmed, all of them bowling well.

“We try to utilise the whole of our bowling line-up. The performance of the bowlers can depend on specific situations during matches, but we believe in each other as a bowling unit.”

Haris was ruled out of the tri-nation series after the first match after sustaining a muscular sprain in the lower chest wall. But the Pakistan Cricket Board had said that the bowler was “expected to be fully fit and available for selection” for the Champions Trophy.

Haris, who bowled six overs during Monday’s training session, was confident about his fitness.

“I’m feeling quite good,” he said. “I have practiced with high intensity over the past two days.

“I haven’t felt any problems or pain while bowling and I am personally satisfied with my fitness. It is for the management to decide whether I’ll play or not.”

After opening their Champions Trophy campaign against New Zealand, Pakistan will fly to Dubai for the highly-anticipated clash against archrivals India, set for Feb 23.

The Mohammad Rizwan-led side will play their last group match against Bangladesh on Feb 27 in Rawalpindi.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2025