Mickey Arthur: “Haider Ali is incredibly exciting”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan team director, acknowledged that big-hitting batsman Haider Ali is “incredibly exciting” when he is firing on all cylinders.
The 22-year-old was once seen as the next batting superstar in the country, but despite starting strong, he failed to live up to expectations.
This resulted in him getting dropped from the national team as other players have leapfrogged him on the pecking order.
Haider did play for the Karachi Kings in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), but once again, he couldn’t quite get going as he only managed to muster 109 runs in six matches, which included a top score of 59, at an average of 18.16 and a strike-rate of 112.37.
While the Attock native hasn’t been near his best lately, Arthur knows the devastation he can cause when he is in top form.
“Haider Ali is incredibly exciting,” the former Pakistan head coach was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on Twitter.
Pakistan recently played a two-Test series against Sri Lanka, which they won 2-0. However, Haider wasn’t included in the squad.
Instead, he has been playing county cricket in England for Derbyshire, who are coached by Arthur.
In the 10 County Championship matches he has played, he has amassed 481 runs, which includes a century and three fifties, at an average of 32.06.
He also featured in the Vitality Blast, where he accumulated 335 runs in 14 games, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 25.76 and a strike-rate of 137.86.