Pakistan fast bowler, Hasan Ali has been called up to the English county side Warwickshire for next season after being left out of the Test squad for the home series against England.
Hasan is Warwickshire’s first overseas signing for 2023 and has agreed on a deal that will see him play the full Vitality Blast campaign until the end of July, including any possible knockout games and the County Championship.
In addition to making 131 international appearances, the 28-year-old has distinguished himself for T20 teams all around the world. He has taken almost 200 T20 wickets for franchises like Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League and St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League.
Last season, the right-arm-medium-fast bowler made his English cricket debut for Lancashire, where he quickly rose to fame thanks to a short red-ball deal. Subsequently, he grabbed the most wickets in Division One of the County Championship, with 25 scalps in five encounters.
I Hope I Can Contribute To Some Wins: Hasan Ali
After being selected for Warwickshire, Hasan quoted, “I’m delighted to sign for Warwickshire as they are an ambitious club and Edgbaston is a ground I’ve always enjoyed playing at. I hope I can help the team with my experience and contribute to some wins – maybe even a trophy.”
Hasan Ali was also warmly greeted by the Warwickshire county club by head coach Mark Robinson. The pacer’s heartfelt bowling for Lancashire the previous summer was also cited by him.
Robinson said, “Hasan made a real statement at Lancashire with some match-winning performances. It was his first spell in English county cricket but he settled in seamlessly and that experience will undoubtedly help him going into a second season.”
The Pakistani Pacer would fancy the English conditions, peculiarly a green Edgbaston surface with clouds hovering above. During Champions Trophy 2017, which was hosted by England, Hasan claimed 13 scalps in just 5 encounters with an economy of 4.29. Hasan also had a staggering dot ball percentage of 60 in the same tournament. Moreover, Hasan was also named the Player of the Tournament for his heroics in the Champions Trophy 2017.
“He’ll play a major role for us in both the Championship and the T20 Blast with his stay running from the start of the season and ending at the end of July. He’s an established international bowler and a fantastic addition to our attack giving us something different to what we already have,” Robinson further added.
However, the medium pacer had a demoralizing World Cup in 2019, which was also hosted by England. Hasan only managed to claim 2 scalps in 4 innings. To make things, he averaged 128 in that tournament and bowled at an economy of 7.76.
That has been the case for Hasan in recent times as well. The Central Punjab bowler did appear in a single game for Pakistan in the recently concluded World T20. In 2022, Hasan has represented Pakistan in only 2 T20Is and has failed a grasp a single breakthrough.
The pace bowler also had a slate ODI season this year, clinching only 2 wickets in 3 matches. Owing to his penurious form, Hasan was dropped from the Pakistan test series against England. Nonetheless, the Test series between Pakistan and England initiates on December 1 in Rawalpindi, followed by encounters on December 9 in Multan and on December 17 in Karachi.
Pakistan’s Squad for the England Test series: Babar Azam (captain), Shan Masood, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Nauman Ali, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mahmood, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jr.
