Yasir Hameed: “Haider Ali must be included in the team. He is ready to deliver”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan opener Yasir Hameed wants big-hitting batsman Haider Ali to be recalled to the national team as he believes the 23-year-old is “ready to deliver”.
Haider was once seen as the next big thing in Pakistan cricket, but his inconsistent performances at the international level ultimately led to him being dropped.
The Attock native’s downward spiral hit rock bottom when he wasn’t selected in the player draft for the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
However, he was ultimately selected by Islamabad United in the replacement draft and went on to score 103 runs in seven matches, which included a top score of 52 not out in Eliminator 2 against the Peshawar Zalmi, at an average of 25.75 and a strike-rate of 163.49.
Believing Haider has still got it, Hameed feels the youngster deserves another chance to prove himself in international cricket.
“Haider Ali must be included in the team. He is ready to deliver,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Pakistan team recently played a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which ended as a 2-2 draw.
They then took on Ireland in a three-match T20I series, which the men in green won 2-1.
Next up for Pakistan will be four T20Is against England from May 22 to May 30.
After that, they will be involved in the T20 World Cup, which will be played in the West Indies and United States of America from June 1 to 29.
Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup game will be against the United States of America in Dallas on June 6.
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
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