“Everyone who comes into international cricket struggles initially. You talk about criticism, it’s become a norm. Everyone just sits and waits for the Pakistan team to lose so that they can talk about it. They have their opinions, but we are trying to build our team. We are trying to draft the youngsters in, the seniors are also there. As seniors, we motivate our juniors, and advise them about what’s required to succeed in international cricket. The quicker they learn, the better it will be for them.”
New Zealand, however, hardly broke a sweat in the chase. While Rauf credited the way the hosts went about their batting, he also felt that the Pakistan bowlers were unlucky to not pick a few more wickets.
“All players have put in the effort. The kind of grounds we have here, we generally get high-scoring games,” he said. “It’s not like we didn’t bowl well, we were unlucky as well. There were a few top edges that went for six, some went over the ropes due to the wind and small ground. We were putting in the effort as a bowling unit, but we didn’t get the desired result. We were a bit unlucky in the beginning.
“We tried using the conditions to our advantage, but we were unlucky. The kind of cricket they played, they hit good shots, so we should credit them.”
While Rauf had a decent day with the ball, picking 2 for 20 in his three overs, the rest of his fast-bowling counterparts have struggled. Shaheen Shah Afridi went for 31 off his three overs despite bowling a maiden, while Mohammad Ali conceded 34 runs off his two overs. Rauf agreed that there has been a decline in Pakistan cricket, but is confident that they are trying to build a team which will challenge top sides in future.
“There is no doubt that our cricket has declined. But we are building as a team and trying to forge a combination and play cricket that’s required at the top level,” Rauf said. “We are trying different things, and when we try things, there will be failures, but we will learn. And there will come a day in future when you will get to see good cricket from the Pakistan team.”
