Inzamam-ul-Haq: “Once Naseem Shah was ruled out, we also needed a bowler who could bowl with the new ball, and I think Hasan Ali is a great choice”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Inzamam-ul-Haq, who recently resigned as Pakistan chief selector due to conflict of interest issues, believes Hasan Ali was the best new ball bowler to replace Naseem Shah.
Naseem injured his shoulder while playing in the Asia Cup and was subsequently ruled out of the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India.
With other players like Ihsanullah and Mohammad Hasnain also out of action due to injuries, Hasan was included in the World Cup team.
Having been given an opportunity to revive his career, the 29-year-old from Gujranwala has done just that as he has taken eight wickets in five matches at an average of 29.87.
“Once Naseem Shah was ruled out, we also needed a bowler who could bowl with the new ball, and I think Hasan Ali is a great choice,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan kicked off their World Cup campaign with back-to-back wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before they went on a four-game losing streak that saw them fall to India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
The men in green finally put a stop to their winless run when they crushed Bangladesh by seven wickets in Kolkata.
Since they still have a chance of making it to the World Cup semi-finals, they will be eager to claim a big win over New Zealand on November 4 in Bengaluru.
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
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