Pakistan captain Babar Azam jokingly slapped his teammate and fast bowler Haris Rauf against the Netherlands in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The Men in Green, playing in Hyderabad, registered an 81-run victory with a great bowling performance. But in the first innings, Pakistan was in grave trouble after being reduced to 38-3.
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But a strong lower-order performance carried them to a 287-run total and then it was the bowlers, who won the game. In the second innings, Rauf was in incredible form as picked up three wickets. But before he went to bowl one of his deliveries, Azam jokingly slapped him as got ready to start his action.
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As Pakistan won a tough game, Babar Azam shared a few positives from the results in the post-match interview. But, Azam also stressed the loss of the early wicket which put the team in a difficult situation. He said, "The way Hyderabad supports us, we are very happy. Our team is enjoying the hospitality. Pretty satisfied, credit to the bowlers, the way started well and the way we took wickets in the middle overs.
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"We lost three wickets, the way Rizwan and Saud batted put pressure on the Netherlands. Saud built his innings and played well. He has improved a lot. Our bowlers bowled very well, we stuck to our plans, Haris bowled quick and took wickets," he added.
