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Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf hopes to use his Big Bash League performances as a launching pad for an international career.

New cult hero Haris Rauf has set his sights on next year's T20 World Cup after announcing himself on the international stage with a sensational Big Bash League cameo.

The Pakistani fast bowler claimed 5-27 in a remarkable four-over spell to spearhead Melbourne Stars' 52-run demolition of Hobart Hurricanes in Moe on Sunday.

The match-winning performance came just two days after he took 2-20 on debut in the win over Brisbane Heat.

Rauf, 26, was plucked from grade cricket in Hobart on the eve of the season as a replacement for South Africa pace bowling legend Dale Steyn, who was out injured.

But Steyn's pending return from a side strain has put Rauf's spot in jeopardy, with BBL teams only allowed to field two international players at once.

Steyn will play a maximum of four matches on a short-term contract, while Nepalese legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane and English fast bowler Pat Brown are also on the Stars roster.

Rauf, 26, has never represented Pakistan at any level, but hopes to use his BBL performances as a career launching pad.

"The T20 World Cup is coming up in Australia and I'm trying to get fit for that," Rauf said through teammate Lamichhane, who was acting as a translator.

"I'm hoping to represent my country, Pakistan, in bigger levels. That's my only dream, to play for my country."

Rauf exuberantly celebrated each of his five wickets against Hobart and finished the day on a touching note by signing the match ball and gifting it to a security guard.

"I gave that ball to one of the Punjabi guys from India because when I arrived at the ground I told him I was from Pakistan, and that guy just cried and hugged me," Rauf said through Lamichhane.

"That's why I got emotional and gave that ball to him."