‘He cried and hugged me’- Haris Rauf narrates an emotional experience with an Indian security person in Australia

Haris Rauf, the talented fast bowler from Pakistan, is currently in Australia where he is playing for the Melbourne Stars in the 2019-20 edition of the Big Bash League (BBL). After picking up a couple of wickets against the Brisbane Heat, the speedster turned up with a match-winning spell versus the Hobart Hurricanes at the Ted Summerton Reserve, Moe, Victoria, picking up a five-wicket haul.

The Stars won by 52 runs and Rauf, rightly, was given the Player of the Match award. However, apart from action on the field, there was another reason why the last game would be a memorable one for Rauf. The 26-year-old narrated an experience with an Indian security guard. On revealing that he’s from Pakistan, the security personnel got emotional and hugged the pacer, breaking into tears.

Haris Rauf’s heartfelt story

After the match, Rauf gave the match-ball to the Indian fan. “I gave today’s match ball to a security guy who is from India. When I came to the ground today I told him I am from Pakistan, he got emotional, he cried and he hugged me,” Rauf was quoted as saying in Pak Passion.

The relationship between India and Pakistan haven’t been a healthy one with all sorts of political turmoil playing spoilsport. The Pulwama Attack in February 2019 followed by the abolition of the Article 370 have added fuel to fire and the two neighbouring nations have been at the loggerheads.

But amid all the cross-border tensions, fans have also shown respect for each other. In the match between India and Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup at the Old Trafford in Manchester, a couple came with a split Indo-Pak jersey. While the husband was from Pakistan, his wife was from India.

As far Rauf is concerned, he got rid of Ben McDermott, Macalister Wright, Tom Rogers, Nathan Ellis and Qais Ahmed to pick up the fifer. His spell helped the Stars bowl the Hurricanes out for 111 in 16 overs. After the match, Rauf collected the match-ball from the umpires and held it to the crowd. The Stars’ next match is against the Adelaide Strikers and Rauf will be looking to carry on with his form.

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A commendable gesture from Haris Rauf after the match yesterday 🤝💯#BBL09 #CricketForAll pic.twitter.com/cFNcFzTTGw

— Cricingif (@_cricingif) December 23, 2019