Pakistan’s right-arm pacer Hasan Ali expressed his hope of making a cut to the national squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 in India.
Hasan Ali, in an interview with a local news outlet, shared that he does not feel to be a part of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) white-ball plans but expressed his hope in securing a spot in Pakistan’s squad for the World Cup by giving exceptional performances.
“I’m playing for Birmingham Bears in the T20 Blast tournament. I’m trying hard to do well, to become the best bowler for my team and make sure that my performance contributes towards my team’s victories,” said Hasan Ali.
“And if national selectors and Pakistan’s team management feel that they are happy with my performance they might consider me for the World Cup,” he added.
The right-arm pacer acknowledged that it is the dream of every player to represent their country in a World Cup before asserting that he knows how to win trophies as he has valuable experience playing in the ICC tournaments.
“It is a dream of every cricketer to represent their country in the World Cup and win trophies for the country. And I know how to win trophies as I’ve a good deal of experience of playing in ICC tournaments,” Hasan asserted.
Hasan Ali’s brilliant campaign in the ongoing County Championship bolstered him to retain himself in the Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka, scheduled to take place from July 16 to 28.
The right-arm pacer took 22 wickets in four matches and is currently the 11th leading wicket-taker of the competition. He also scored two half-centuries in his brief five-match stint.
“I’m really looking forward to it as I want to play for Pakistan. I have been trying to do well in county matches and gain my rhythm. Whether it’s domestic cricket in Pakistan, any T20 league or the county championship my job is to perform,” he said.
“So far, I’m very happy with my performance in the county championship. I’m a professional cricketer and setup here is very professional too. I’ve a very good understanding with coaches and management and they are also satisfied with my performance.
“Before arriving here, I had a very detailed discussion with the Warwickshire CCC’s management on how to manage my workload and so far, they have done it exceptionally well,” Hasan Ali concluded.
It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan will start their World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 campaign with an away series against Sri Lanka, which is likely to commence on July 16.
As per the ICC-released WTC schedule, Pakistan will play 14 matches against numerous teams over the course of a two-year period.
The Green Shirts will play six series – three home and three away – during their WTC campaign.
Pakistan will take on England, West Indies and Bangladesh in their own backyard while they will face some serious challenges in the away series against reigning champions Australia and South Africa.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood.
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