Mohammad Hafeez: “Unfortunately, Asif Ali is a wasted talent who [was] not managed correctly in [the] last five-six years”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan team director and interim head coach Mohammad Hafeez has called big-hitting batsman Asif Ali a “wasted talent.”
Asif used to be Pakistan’s first-choice power-hitter at one point and had a knack for scoring fast runs and finishing games.
However, after failing to score runs consistently, the 32-year-old has constantly been overlooked and last played international cricket during the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
“Unfortunately, Asif Ali is a wasted talent who [was] not managed correctly in [the] last five-six years,” Hafeez was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Asif was recently in action for the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and amassed 72 runs in six matches at an average of 18 and a strike-rate of 141.17.
The Zalmi managed to make it to the playoffs, but saw their campaign come to an end after losing to the Multan Sultans in the Qualifier and eventual champions Islamabad United in Eliminator 2.
Asif wasn’t picked for Pakistan’s recent five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which ended as a 2-2 draw.
He also failed to make the cut for the ongoing three-match T20I series against Ireland and the four-match T20I series against England from May 22 to May 30.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan