Hasan Ali

A modern day fast bowler hailing from Punjab, who relies on variations rather than on raw pace, a breed rarely seen from Pakistan. A silky smooth action which helps him in his economical approach to the crease, Ali has graduated through age group cricket and his moment of fame came in Pakistan's limited over's leg in England 2016 where he played four ODIs and the only T20I after making his ODI debut against Ireland on the same tour.

Hasan Ali, playing for Sialkot made his first-class debut against Lahore Ravi in 2013 and immediately caught eyes by picking up a wicket in his first over in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He continued to grow as a cricketer and the 17 wickets in 7 games at an average of 17.05 made him a force to reckon with and thus opened the doors for selection into the national team. He also made it to the play-offs of the 2016 Pakistan Super League playing for Peshawar Zalmi, which topped the points table after the qualifying stage under the leadership of the mercurial Shahid Afridi. In the 2017 PSL, Hasan Ali and his men went a few steps better to win the tournament.

Hasan has had a dream 2017 as he picked up fifers at Sydney and Providence, Guyana against Australia and West Indies respectively. His rise has been welcoming for the Pakistani team who had been playing mostly with a troika of left-arm seamers.

He was awarded the Man of the tournament award for scripting Pakistan's tremendous comeback in the 2017 Champions Trophy, which they won after being trounced in their first league game. Hasan starred with the ball and led the bowling charts picking up 13 wickets in 5 games. He started off on an unceremonious note in the first game against India but then picked up his performances to give Pakistan the silverware. Three wickets a piece against South Africa, Sri Lanka, England in the semis and India in the finale ensured Pakistan were amongst the wickets in the middle overs. His infectious energy and undying fighting spirit was praised immensely by the cricketing experts. Pakistan, thus, continues its tradition of producing world class fast bowlers!

by Kumar Abhisekh Das