Mickey Arthur: “I watched Haider in my last year with Pakistan when he was with the U19 side, observed him in the nets, and thought his career had been stunted a bit, which annoyed me to an extent, because I think he is a wonderful talent”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan head coach and team director Mickey Arthur admitted he is annoyed that big-hitting batsman Haider Ali’s career has been “stunted.”
Arthur noted that during his tenure as head coach from 2016 to 2019, he identified Haider as a “wonderful talent” and felt he would go on to achieve big things for the men in green.
However, the 23-year-old hasn’t been able to deliver consistent performances, which has led to him falling out of favour with the national selectors.
“I brought in Haider Ali, because I watched Haider in my last year with Pakistan when he was with the U19 side, observed him in the nets, and thought his career had been stunted a bit, which annoyed me to an extent, because I think he is a wonderful talent,” Arthur, who is the Head of Cricket at Derbyshire, told Wisden.
Having last played international cricket at the 2023 Asian Games, Haider will look to shine in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he will represent Islamabad United.
PSL 9 will be held from February 17 to March 18 in four cities – Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
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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