Wasim Akram: “Hasan Nawaz looks really good”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan pace maestro Wasim Akram sees great potential in big-hitting batsman Hasan Nawaz, saying he “looks really good”.
Nawaz is one of the brightest prospects in the country at the moment and has lived up to all the hype so far.
During the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), the 23-year-old put on a show as he was the third-highest run-scorer with 399 runs in 12 matches for the Quetta Gladiators, which included a century and three fifties, at an average of 57 and a strike-rate of 162.19.
Following PSL 10, he continued to dominate, scoring 121 runs at an average of 60.50 and a strike-rate of 198.36 in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh.
The men in green then toured Bangladesh for another three-match T20I series, but Nawaz didn’t have the same kind of impact as he was restricted to 33 runs at an average of 11 and a strike-rate of 122.22.
Despite this minor dip, Wasim thinks there is something special about the Islamabad-born batsman.
“Hasan Nawaz looks really good,” he was quoted as saying by Khel Shel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Following back-to-back series against Bangladesh, Pakistan toured the West Indies and Nawaz did well in the T20I series, making 79 runs in three matches at an average of 26.33 and a strike-rate of 164.58.
He then made his ODI debut and finished with 112 runs in three matches, which included a career-best 63 not out, at an average of 112.
The men in green are now taking on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in a T20I tri-series in Sharjah.
In two matches, Nawaz has accumulated 65 runs, which includes a top score of 56, at an average of 32.50 and a strike-rate of 166.66.
After the T20I tri-series concludes, Pakistan will be involved in the 2025 Asia Cup, which will be played in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup:Â Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem