Haris Rauf has been named as the player to watch as six Pakistan players made it to the top 50 ‘heroes’ list in this year’s men’s Hundred auction.
The shortlist of 247 includes a total of 14 Pakistani male players, despite reports that Pakistani players will not be considered by the four Indian-owned franchises amid geopolitical tensions between the two countries. This year’s Hundred will also clash with the Pakistan Test series.
Rauf joins South African pair Aiden Markram and David Miller, New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell and West Indies spinner Sunil Narine in a group dubbed ‘Marquee Players International’, with a maximum starting price of £100,000.
Players had to submit themselves to participate in the auction, with eight franchises each submitting a list of 75 to 100 potential players, from which a longlist was determined.
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England captain Harry Brook said it would be a “disappointment” if Pakistan players were left out of playing in this year’s The Hundred.
The top 50 ‘hero’ players were divided into categories, with Pakistan paceman Shaheen Shah Afridi, all-rounder Shadab Khan and spinner Usman Tariq each ranked in Tier 1, while all-rounder Saim Ayub and spinner Abrar Ahmed were ranked in Tier 2. Nevertheless, Ayub chose the lowest price.
In fact, Pakistan has the highest representation of any foreign country in the top 50, one place ahead of South Africa.
Sahibzada Farhan, the leading run-scorer in the ongoing T20 World Cup, is a notable absentee in Pakistan’s 14-man squad, which includes all-rounders Muhammad Nawaz, Osama Mir and Imad Wasim and pace bowlers Muhammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Zaman Khan, Akif Javed and Salman Mirza.
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There was no handshake during the toss between captain Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha ahead of the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan.
The four Indian-owned franchises are MI London, Sunrisers Leeds, Manchester Super Giants and Southern Brave.
A total of 63 men and four women from Pakistan applied to take part in their respective auctions, with spinner Sadia Iqbal and all-rounder Fatima Sana each shortlisted for a minimum price of £15,000.
The top price in the women’s auction, £50,000, is shared between England players Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glen and Amy Jones, and leading international players Nadine de Klerk, Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney.
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