Rashid Latif: “There is no doubt Hasan is a good bowler”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman, said there is no doubt that Hasan Ali “is a good bowler.”
Hasan was one of Pakistan’s go-to fast bowlers, but was axed from the pace attack after a string of inconsistent performances.
While he has been included in the squad from time to time, the 29-year-old from Gujranwala last represented his country in January 2023.
Despite this, Latif noted that Hasan has not lost his touch as a strike bowler.
“There is no doubt Hasan is a good bowler,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan recently beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in a Test series before defeating Afghanistan 3-0 in an ODI series.
They were recently involved in the Asia Cup, where they started off strong before losing two key matches against India and Sri Lanka, which led to them failing to reach the final.
Since fast bowler Naseem Shah suffered a shoulder injury in the loss to India, he was subsequently ruled out of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India and Hasan was called up as his replacement.
In Pakistan’s World Cup opener against the Netherlands, Hasan did very well as he picked up two wickets in the seven overs he bowled.
Having beaten the Netherlands by 81 runs, the men in green will now be looking to make it two wins in a row when they take on Sri Lanka on October 10 in Hyderabad.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali
20-year-old Naseem got injured during Asia Cup, ruling him out of the ICC World Cup 2023. Following the injury, the fast bowler underwent shoulder surgery earlier last week. During the operation, he remained absolutely stable and was discharged from the hospital the next day.