18 June 2024 Punjab Khabarnama : After the video of Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf nearly coming to blows with a fan went viral on social media, the pacer has responded and vowed that he won’t step back from responding if somebody hurls abuses at him and his family.
“I decided to not bring this to social media, but now that the video is out, I feel it is necessary to address the situation,” said Rauf in a post on ‘X’.
The video seems to be from outside one of the hotels in the US where Pakistan stayed during the course of their T20 World Cup fixtures in Group A. Pakistan made a sorry exit from the tournament after an upset defeat against USA and letting a win against India slip out of their hands.
“As public figures, we are open to receiving all kinds of feedback from the public. They are entitled to support or criticize us. Nevertheless, when it comes to my parents and my family, I will not hesitate to respond accordingly. It is important to show respect towards people and their families, irrespective of their professions,” Rauf wrote.
There has been a lot of resentment and anger among the Pakistan fans in the US and back home for a lackluster performance in the T20 World Cup, following the team’s flop show in the ODI World Cup last year in India.
Captain Babar Azam has been heavily criticized for failing to keep the team united and lead by example, with former cricketers and fans in Pakistan asking for him to be sacked from captaincy.
Interestingly, the Pakistan Cricket Board reinstated Babar as captain in white-ball cricket after he had stepped down from the role in the wake of the 50-over World Cup debacle in 2023. In his place, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi led the team but lasted as skipper for a solitary series.
