Haris attended the Islamabad Model College for Boys I-8/3.[11] At college, he was more inclined towards football than cricket, helping his school win the football trophy and being recognized as the best player of the tournament.[11] Later, for further education, he enrolled in the International Islamic University, Islamabad, for an IT program.[11][10] Before dedicating himself entirely to cricket, he worked in a mobile shop and supplemented his income by playing tape-ball cricket, affiliating with teams that offered compensation.[10]
On 23 December 2022, Rauf married his classmate Muzna Masood Malik in a traditional nikkah ceremony in Islamabad.[12]
Early career
Rauf started playing with hard ball at the age of 23.[10] He joined the cricket team of International Islamic University, Islamabad, and when its coach asked him to attend the Lahore Qalandars trials to be held in Gujranwala in September 2017, he was initially reluctant.[11] However, he agreed and was spotted by Aaqib Javed.[11] Soon, he was given a contract by Lahore Qalandars as they acknowledged his potential and aimed to nurture his skills.[10] Standing at 5'11" and weighing 71kg, he began a dedicated fitness journey with Aaqib, who provided him with a structured training and diet plan.[10] To aid his growth, Rauf played for the Hawkesbury Cricket Club in Australia.[10] He made his T20 debut with the Qalandars against the Hobart Hurricanes in 2018.[10]
Domestic career
Rauf bowling for Yorkshire in 2022.
In 2018, Rauf was selected for Lahore Qalandars for the 2018 Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy, which also marked his domestic career debut.[11]
In May 2020, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) awarded him with a central contract, in a newly created Emerging Players' category, ahead of the 2020–21 season.[28][29] In June 2020, he was named in a 29-man squad for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic.[30][31] However, on 22 June 2020, Rauf was one of three players from Pakistan's squad to test positive for COVID-19.[32] Although he had shown no previous symptoms of the virus,[33] he was advised to go into a period of self-isolation.[34] Rauf was eventually replaced in Pakistan's squad by Mohammad Amir, after he had provided five positive tests out of six for COVID-19 in the last month.[35] On 30 July 2020, the PCB confirmed that Rauf had returned two consecutive negative tests,[36] and was therefore eligible to fly to England to join the Pakistan squad.[37]
In September 2021, Rauf was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[46] He took a four-for against New Zealand to the win man-of-the-match for Pakistan in their second game of the tournament.[47]
In February 2022, Rauf was named in Pakistan's Test squad for their series against Australia.[48] In August 2022, Rauf was named in Pakistan's squad for Asia cup.
In October 2022, Rauf was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[49]
On 22 August 2023, Rauf took his first international five-wicket haul, taking 5/18 against Afghanistan.[50]
