Hasan Ali: “Sajid Khan had performed brilliantly against England. Dropping him after such a performance is unfair and could damage his confidence. Even if not in the playing XI, he should have been part of the squad”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali has admitted that the decision to drop spinner Sajid Khan for the two-Test series against South Africa was “unfair”.
Sajid made his Test comeback during the three-match series against England in October 2024 and performed exceptionally well.
Playing in only the 2nd and 3rd Tests, the 31-year-old took 19 wickets, which included two five-wicket hauls, at an average of 21.10.
His efforts helped Pakistan win 2-1, which was their first Test series victory at home since 2021.
After a stellar campaign against England, Hasan noted that being axed from the Test squad will be a big blow for Sajid.
The 30-year-old added that he hopes this setback won’t have a negative impact on Sajid’s confidence.
“Sajid Khan had performed brilliantly against England. Dropping him after such a performance is unfair and could damage his confidence. Even if not in the playing XI, he should have been part of the squad,” he said on Samaa Digital programme Zor Ka Jor.
Pakistan recently toured Australia for a white-ball series and came away with mixed results as they won the ODIs 2-1 but were battered 3-0 in the T20Is.
The men in green then travelled to Zimbabwe and triumphed 2-1 in both the ODI and T20I series.
As for their ongoing tour of South Africa, they lost the T20Is 2-0 before bouncing back to register a 3-0 win in the ODIs.
The men in green and the Proteas are now playing a two-Test series, which South Africa lead 1-0 after winning the 1st Test in Centurion by two wickets.
The 2nd Test will get underway on January 3 in Cape Town.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha
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