Hasan Ali: “He believed in him and see how he became a top batter across all formats”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Hasan Ali, the Pakistan fast bowler, has revealed that team director Mickey Arthur always had an unwavering belief in captain Babar Azam.
Arthur, who was Pakistan’s head coach from 2016 to 2019, backed Azam to become a superstar and the 29-year-old has fully lived up to that expectation.
The Lahore-born batsman has been scoring runs consistently in all three formats and has also broken numerous records over the past few years.
Hasan is glad Arthur continued supporting Azam as the star batsman has fully repaid the faith that was shown in him.
“He believed in him and see how he became a top batter across all formats,” he was quoted as saying by A Sports.
Pakistan recently beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in a Test series before taking down Afghanistan 3-0 in an ODI series.
After that, they featured in the Asia Cup, where they fell short of making it to the final.
Currently, Azam and Hasan are playing in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, with the Pakistan skipper having made 157 runs in five matches, which includes two fifties, at an average of 31.40.
As for Hasan, he has taken eight wickets in five games at an average of 29.87.
Pakistan started the World Cup in perfect fashion as they won their first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
However, they were unable to maintain their momentum as they succumbed to defeats at the hands of India, Australia and Afghanistan.
With Pakistan currently on a three-match losing streak, they will be determined to end it when they face South Africa on October 27 in Chennai.
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