Pakistan pace bowler Hasan Ali: “Iām feeling really good. My pace is up, the ball is kicking off the wicket and my rhythm is good too”
Image courtesy of: Pakistan Cricket Board
Ahead of the South Africa series, Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali noted that his pace is up and “the ball is kicking off the wicket”.
Hasan made his comeback from recurring back injuries in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he captained Central Punjab.
He finished as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the competition with 43 wickets in nine matches at an average of 20.06.
With the number of wickets he claimed, Hasan had the most wickets among pace bowlers in this yearās Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
He also got the job done with the bat in the final against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as he smashed an unbeaten 106, which came off 61 balls and included 10 boundaries and seven sixes.
His efforts nearly helped Central Punjab defend their title, but instead, the match ended as a tie and the trophy was shared between the two teams.
Having made his presence felt in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Hasan is determined to do the same thing against South Africa, who are visiting Pakistan for the first time in 14 years.
“Iām feeling really good. My pace is up, the ball is kicking off the wicket and my rhythm is good too,” he toldĀ PakPassion. “Iād been wanting to play in domestic cricket but only when I felt ready. I turned down the chance to play in the National T20 Cup as I didnāt feel that I was totally ready, and I wanted to prove myself and prepare fully for 4-day cricket.
“It took me a couple of matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to find my feet again but after that initial rustiness wore off, I felt fine. The pitches werenāt too bowler-friendly so to take 43 wickets in this tournament is something that I am very satisfied with.”
Pakistanās series against South Africa, which will consist of two Tests and three T20 Internationals, will start on January 26 and conclude on February 14.
Pakistanās squad for the South Africa series:Ā Abid Ali, Abdullah Shafique, Imran Butt, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (captain), Fawad Alam, Kamran Ghulam, Agha Salman, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Yasir Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tabish Khan