"Most parents in Pakistan don't allow their children to play cricket" - Haris Rauf opens up about his early-day struggles

Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf recently revealed that his parents didn't want him to play cricket when he was younger. The pacer described how he would sneak away to play tape-ball cricket without informing anyone.

Haris Rauf mentioned on The Grade Cricketer's YouTube channel on Tuesday that most Pakistani parents are against their children's sporting ambitions. However, he added that he continued to play tape-ball matches despite the lack of support.

He stated:

"In Pakistan, every player starts with tape-ball cricket. I also started with that on the streets and grounds. Most parents in Pakistan don't allow their children to play cricket or any other sport. My parents also didn't allow me to play cricket initially. But I continued playing and travelled to different cities for tape-ball cricket without telling my parents where I was going."

Notably, the right-armer managed to impress the Lahore Qalandars coaching staff with his express pace during an open trial in 2017. Since then, he has made a name for himself with his bowling exploits in international cricket as well as franchise-based T20 leagues in Pakistan and Australia.

"They even started checking if the speed gun was accurate or not" - Haris Rauf on surprising Lahore Qalandars selectors with his pace

Rauf further narrated how he drew the attention of the Lahore Qalandars selectors with his sheer pace. He recalled that they initially assumed that the speed gun wasn't operating properly. However, he finally got picked up by the franchise after clocking 92.3 mph.

On this, Rauf stated:

"In 2017, I went for the Lahore Qalandars trials. Until then, I hadn't realised that I bowled very fast. In the last round, I bowled my first ball at around 88 mph and the next one at 90 mph. They even started checking if the speed gun was accurate or not. They asked me to bowl one more ball and it clocked 92.3. That is how I was selected."

The 28-year-old seamer is currently a part of the Pakistan squad for their ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka. He has already featured in 13 ODIs and 35 T20Is for his national side and has 65 wickets to his name in international cricket.