PAK vs NZ T20I: Haris Rauf likely to set major T20I record in New Zealand series

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s right-arm speedster Haris Rauf is just six wickets shy from breaking a long-standing T20I record when his side takes on New Zealand in the remaining two PAK vs NZ T20Is of the five-match series.

Haris has the perfect opportunity to dethrone West Indies’ Jason Holder in the list of bowlers with the most wickets in a five-match T20I series.

The West Indian all-rounder claimed a record 15 wickets in a five-match series against England in 2021.

Haris, on the other hand, has thus far claimed 10 wickets in just three PAK vs NZ T20Is and needs to take six more to break Holder’s record.

Besides Haris, Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar Azam also has an opportunity to set a major T20I captaincy record in the fourth PAK vs NZ T20I as a victory would make him the skipper with the most number of victories.

So far, he is the joint-holder of this record with Afghanistan’s Asghar Afghan and England’s Eoin Morgan after 42 wins.

It is worth mentioning here that the ongoing five-game series took an interesting turn on Monday after New Zealand won their maiden T20I against Pakistan on the latter’s home soil on Monday and reduced the hosts’ advantage to 2-1.

In the third PAK v NZ T20I, Pakistan failed just four runs short of victory while chasing 164 as the home side could raise 159 before bundling out on the final delivery despite Iftikhar’s quickfire 60.

The Rawalpindi pitch, known for delivering high-scoring contests because of its batting-friendly nature, will host the last two matches of the PAK vs NZ T20I series on April 20 and 24, respectively.