He surpassed contenders like India’s Jasprit Bumrah and South Africa’s Marco Jansen.

The 31-year-old played a key role in securing Pakistan’s first ODI series win in Australia in 22 years, taking an impressive 18 wickets throughout the series.

His most notable performance came in the second ODI against Australia, where, after Pakistan was trailing 1-0, Rauf delivered a remarkable bowling display in Adelaide, achieving career-best figures of 5/29.

This performance helped reduce Australia to just 163 runs, enabling Pakistan to secure a nine-wicket victory and level the series.

Rauf’s exceptional form continued into the third ODI, where he claimed two more wickets, contributing significantly to Pakistan’s 2-1 series triumph and earning him the Player of the Series title.

In the subsequent T20I series, Rauf maintained his impressive performance, taking five wickets, including a four-wicket haul in Sydney, marking his fourth four-wicket performance in T20Is. He then traveled with the team to Zimbabwe, where he added three more wickets in three ODIs, aiding Pakistan in achieving a 2-1 series win.

Currently, Rauf is part of Pakistan’s squad for the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, although he went wicketless in the series opener, conceding 44 runs in his allotted overs.