Michael Clarke and Haris Rauf [Source: @LoyleRohitFan, @RichKettle07/x]Haris Rauf was surprisingly excluded from the Pakistan squad for the upcoming T20I series against Australia and from next month’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. Earlier this month, several reports indicated that Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson did not wanted Rauf in Pakistan’s travelling party owing to his lackluster spell against India last year during the 2025 Asia Cup final. Former Australian cricketers and World Cup winning captains Aaron Finch and Michael Clarke have both expressed their disbelief over Haris Rauf’s omission, with the latter even citing the pacer’s recent BBL 2025-26 form for the Melbourne Stars. Aaron Finch says Haris Rauf brings the ‘X-factor’ While speaking on ESPNCricinfo, former Australian opener Aaron Finch called Haris Rauf a “genuine wicket taker” who tends to give away runs on occasion. The 2021 T20 World Cup winning skipper added that Rauf has the ability of picking up wickets even on flat surfaces, and he was “really surprised” by the speedster’s exclusion. Aaron Finch said, “Was really surprised when I saw that he wasn’t in the squad. I thought he brings that X-factor. Yes he can be a bit expensive with the ball at different times, but when you’ve got a genuine wicket taker in all three phases of the game. That’s the most important thing for me in T20 cricket, is finding a way to get wickets, particularly on some flat surfaces as well. So yeah, I was really surprised with that.” Michael Clarke assesses Haris Rauf’s exclusion by bringing up his BBL form Australia’s 2015 World Cup winning skipper Michael Clarke also echoed Aaron Finch’s sentiments over Haris Rauf, but sympathized with the PCB for picking a squad based on different playing conditions in India and Sri Lanka. Clarke, however, added that the PCB should still have considered the speedster owing to his prolific BBL record this 2025-26 season for the Melbourne Stars. He said, “Yes, surprised. But again, its another indication that playing in Australia is very different to playing in India and Sri Lanka. You pick your squad for conditions, where you’re going to play, the role you’re going to play in that team. So they obviously don’t see him playing a role like he did in the BBL. "But I think form is important as well. I think when you’re picking a World Cup squad, you’d rather guys going into the tournament with some cricket and some good form under their belt. So let’s see what happens.” Haris Rauf Pakistan’s top-performer in BBL 2025-26 Compatible to Michael Clarke’s claims, Haris Rauf picked up a staggering haul of 20 wickets in just 11 BBL innings for the Melbourne Stars. The pace-bowling maverick maintained an impressive bowling average of just 16.75, and was Pakistan’s top-performer by a landslide this BBL 2025-26 season. While the likes of Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi both found a place in Pakistan’s 2026 T20 World Cup squad despite their flop show in Australia, Rauf’s omission has only amplified questions around the consistency and logic behind PCB’s selection process.
