Misbah-ul-Haq: “It would be an injustice to judge Hasan Ali based on just one performance because he is making a comeback on the back of good performances in domestic cricket”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Pakistan pace bowler Misbah-ul-Haq has said “it would be an injustice to judge Hasan Ali based on just one performance”.
The pace bowler made his international comeback in the first Test against South Africa in Karachi after a strong campaign in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
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 the tournament.
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.
Many people were expecting Hasan to put on a show in the first Test against the Proteas, but he only took two wickets in total, with one coming in each innings, and scored 21 runs.
However, Misbah came to his defence, saying it is unfair to judge someone on their first international match since the 2019 World Cup.
“It would be an injustice to judge Hasan Ali based on just one performance because he is making a comeback on the back of good performances in domestic cricket,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
It remains to be seen if Hasan will keep hold of his spot in the playing XI for the second Test, which begins on Thursday in Rawalpindi.