Haris Rauf on MCG ghosts haunting Pakistan: ‘We’ve lost a couple of close matches here against India and also in the World Cup final’
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) continues to haunt Pakistan as they lost the first ODI against Australia by two wickets on Monday.
This wasn’t the first time Pakistan fell agonizingly short at the historic MCG. During the 2022 T20 World Cup, Pakistan lost to India after Virat Kohli’s heroics, where he hit two match-winning sixes off Haris Rauf’s penultimate over. Later, in the final at the same venue, Pakistan fell to England.
Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf, who bowled impressively in the opening ODI by dismissing Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Glenn Maxwell to turn the tide in Pakistan’s favor, lamented the missed chances at the MCG.
“We have memories on this ground that we remember. We’ve lost a couple of very close matches here against India and also in the World Cup final,” Rauf told reporters after the match.
Pakistan’s Haris Rauf celebrates the wicket of Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne during their one day international cricket match in Melbourne, Monday. (AP)
“We’ve made mistakes in the past, but we try to stay in the present moment. The future isn’t in our control, and we are enjoying the present.
“Sometimes the result doesn’t go your way, and you have to accept that. You then try and learn from those failures.”
The Pakistan pacer also expressed disappointment over his team’s sloppiness in the field, as they conceded 21 extras during the match.
“We did give away extras, but when you attack, you have to accept that these things happen,” he said.
“We did make mistakes, and we were a bit untidy. We know these small things can make a big impact. If you’re a good bowling unit, you can make up for the batters falling 20-30 runs short if you’re tight in the field as well.
“We could have defended this, and we all tried really hard. The game didn’t go our way, but we gave our all in terms of energy and effort.”
