Hasan Ali: “I stand by my statement of ‘King Karlega’. He is the king of cricket and performs a lot for Pakistan”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Veteran pace bowler Hasan Ali has heaped praise on batsman Babar Azam, saying he “performs a lot for Pakistan” and “is the king of cricket”.
Azam has been through testing times lately as he has fought hard to regain his form and score runs consistently.
During the 2025 Champions Trophy, the 30-year-old amassed 87 runs in two games, which included a top score of 64, at an average of 43.50.
He then proceeded to feature in Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against New Zealand and amassed 129 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 43.
Knowing how much pressure Azam has been under, Hasan insisted he still believes the Lahore native is an outstanding cricketer.
“I stand by my statement of ‘King Karlega’. He is the king of cricket and performs a lot for Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying by Khel Shel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam recently captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and made 288 runs in 10 matches, which included three half-centuries, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
As for Hasan, he represented the Karachi Kings and finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 10 games at an average of 20.47 and an economy rate of 9.03.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which Hasan was picked for but Azam was not.
The three T20Is will be held in Lahore from May 28 to June 1.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub
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