Haris Rauf’s journey to cricket stardom was quite a rollercoaster before he caught the attention of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Lahore Qalandars.
In a documentary called “The Incredible Rise of Haris Rauf,” released by ESPNCricinfo, Haris Rauf opened up about how he managed to pay for his school fees during the tough times.
Haris Rauf was discovered by the Lahore Qalandars Players Development Program (PDP) in Gujranwala when he clocked an impressive 92.3mph during trials. His family’s financial situation was far from stable, and he had to find ways to cover his expenses, including selling snacks and playing tape-ball cricket all over Pakistan.
He snuck into an open cricket trial and clocked 150+ kmph, eventually becoming one of Pakistan's frontline fast bowlers 🔥
Watch 'Haris Rauf: Zero to 150', now on ESPNcricinfo 🎥 @HarisRauf14
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 1, 2023
Haris Rauf said, “I used to play tape ball cricket to earn money for my education because my father couldn’t afford my school fees.
“After completing my matriculation, I used to work in the market selling snacks (nimco) on Sundays to help pay my school fees. During the rest of the week, I would attend school and practice at the academy,” Haris revealed in the ESPNCricinfo documentary.
Haris mentioned that he was making a good income playing tape-ball cricket, earning around 2-2.5 lakh (200,000 to 250,000) per month. He would contribute to his family’s finances, but he never disclosed this to his father.
Haris Rauf has an impressive cricket record with 28 appearances in One Day Internationals (ODIs), where he has taken an outstanding 53 wickets. He also appears in 62 T20Is, Where he took 83 wickets.
