Ramiz Raja, the retired former cricketer from Pakistan, recently shared his worries regarding the decrease in bowling speed of two young Pakistani pacers, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi, during their first ODI match against New Zealand at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
On his YouTube channel, Raja pointed out that Rauf tends to rely on good yorkers or a change of pace to perform well in T20s, but suggested that he needs to improve his speed to become more effective in ODIs.
Ramiz Raja expressed his concern over Haris Rauf’s performance, stating that there is a question mark over his effectiveness as a length bowler. He noted that Rauf tends to rely on good yorkers or a change of pace, which works well in T20s when batsmen take chances, but not as much in ODIs.
Raja believes that Rauf needs to increase his pace to be more effective in the longer format of the game. He also mentioned that Rauf’s overall pace has decreased, and while it’s understandable to conserve energy during a long spell, Raja thinks he needs to increase his pace a bit more.
Ramiz Raja also commented on Shaheen Afridi’s performance, suggesting that he needs to increase his average speed of 136 and step up his pace when he bowls forward. Raja emphasized the importance of having a good understanding of one’s bowling on such pitches, where there is not much sideways movement.
He advised Afridi to develop a process that includes variations, change of pace, or sheer pace to be effective in these conditions.
Raja concluded by emphasizing the need for both Rauf and Afridi to improve their performance and adapt to the different challenges of ODIs.
Ramiz Raja’s comments came after Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf’s performance in the opening ODI against the New Zealand cricket team, where both bowlers were quite expensive during their spells.
Shaheen managed to take two wickets but conceded 63 runs, while Haris also took two wickets but gave away 65 runs. Raja’s concerns were based on his observation that the young Pakistani pacers need to adapt their bowling techniques and improve their overall performance to be more effective in the ODI format of the game.
