Mickey Arthur: “He has never had a clear role defined for him”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur admitted that batsman Haider Ali “never had a clear role defined for him”, which likely played a part in his downfall.
Haider was once seen as the next big thing in Pakistan cricket and started his international career on a high as he smashed 54 off 33 balls in his T20I debut against England in September 2020.
Since then, the 23-year-old has gone on to play 35 T20Is and scored 505 runs, which includes three fifties, at an average of 17.41 and a strike-rate of 124.69.
He has also featured in two ODIs and mustered 42 runs at an average of 21.
With Haider having batted at various positions, Arthur feels that he has been unlucky as he has never been given a proper opportunity to cement his spot at a certain number.
“He has never had a clear role defined for him,” the Head of Cricket at Derbyshire told Wisden.
Haider was not selected for Pakistan’s recent three-Test series against Australia and five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which they lost 3-0 and 4-1 respectively.
The Attock-born batsman will now play for Islamabad United in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), which begins on February 17.
Islamabad United Squad for PSL 9: Shadab Khan (captain), Naseem Shah, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Rumman Raees, Matthew Forde, Salman Ali Agha, Qasim Akram, Shahab Khan, Hunain Shah, Ubaid Shah, Shamyl Hussain, Tom Curran (reserved), Obed McCoy, Haider Ali
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