Hasan Ali

One of the most aggressive pace bowlers of the modern generation, Hasan Ali is a star in making. At just 26 years of age, his performances have earned numerous accolades from around the globe. He became the fastest Pakistani bowlers and the fifth fastest overall to pick 50 wickets in ODIs. 

Ali started his domestic career in 2013 for Sialkot and immediately grabbed the attention of the national selectors and has never looked back since then. He was seen as the future superstar of Pakistan and his arrival at the international stages wasn’t a surprise. 

Ali’s first call-up was in 2016 in the limited-overs triangular series against Ireland and England. He made his ODI debut against Ireland on August 18, 2016. Although he went wicketless. Ali’s tight spell saw him included in his first-ever T20I against England on September 7, 2016. This time he was relentless with his blend of variations and scalped two massive wickets of Joe Root and Ben Stokes on his debut as Pakistan defeated England by 9 wickets.

Ali bowled exceptionally well in his first ICC mega event where he was the leading wicket-taker for picking 13 wickets and was the tormentor-in-chief for Pakistan in the Champions trophy, 2017. Pakistan moved ahead to win this tournament with Ali elected as the Player of the Series. 

Months later, in October, Hasan Ali moved to the number one spot in ICC ODI bowler’s ranking after becoming the fastest player from Pakistan to strike 50 wickets. By the end of 2017, he had picked 45 wickets in a calendar year in ODIs and was named as the Emerging Cricketer of the Year by ICC.

Two years down the lane in 2019, a dreadful back injury to the Mandi-born superstar saw him out of the squad for seven weeks. This was immediately followed up by a rib fracture which took over a year to recover. Ali regained his fitness and was called back to the national squad ahead of the Test series against the Proteas in January 2021. Ali took a career-best 10 wickets in the match as Pakistan blitzed South Africa with the new ball to complete a 95-run victory in the second and final Test match of the series.

Ali has been a regular starter for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and was a member of the 2017 title-winning squad. In the 2019 edition of the PSL, he ended up as the leading wicket-taker with 25 dismissals and was awarded as the bowler of the tournament. 

A handy lower-order batsman with the ability to clear the ropes easily, Ali can be regarded as a bowling all-rounder. His energy on the field and the never-give-up attitude have certainly fared well on the international stages and made him one of the most loved cricketers in Pakistan.

(As of April 2021)