Haris Rauf reacts to the contentious public altercation video, saying, “When it comes to my parents and family, I will not hesitate to respond.”

Following their humiliating elimination from the current T20 World Cup 2024, Pakistan’s star pacer Haris Rauf got into a verbal and physical altercation with one of the spectators. In a widely shared video, the 30-year-old was seen lunging for a fan, despite his wife’s attempts to stop him.

Following the video’s widespread virality on social media, Rauf claimed in a statement that he was incensed by the fan’s criticism of his family. The pacer stated that he is willing to accept criticism of any kind as a public figure and professional cricketer, but he will not stand by while his family is mistreated.

“After seeing the video, I felt it was important to address the problem, but I chose not to bring this up on social media. We welcome any form of public input as we are well-known figures. They are free to agree with us or disagree with us. I will, however, not hold back when responding appropriately when it comes to my parent and my family. Regardless of one’s occupation, it is critical to treat people and their families with dignity,” Rauf stated on his X handle.

It is expected of fans to respect the boundaries. Mohammed Hafeez

In defence of Rauf, former Pakistani cricket player Muhammad Hafeez said that fans should understand and respect the boundaries that separate players’ personal and professional life.

“Cricketers’ personal and professional lives should have clear boundaries that fans should respect.” These are a modest request and a matter of basic ethics,” Hafeez wrote.

Also read: Watch: Haris Rauf, a fast bowler for Pakistan, gets into a heated altercation; the video goes viral

Pakistan’s path to the Super 4 became more difficult as they dropped consecutive games against the USA and India. They went on to win two straight games against Canada and Ireland, but ultimately it was insufficient to secure their qualification. Since then, there have been numerous reports of changes within the Pakistan team; however, neither the team management nor PCB have responded to these reports.