Hasan Ali (cricketer)

Hasan Ali (Punjabi and حسن علی; born 2 July 1994) is a Pakistani cricketer who plays for the national team in all formats. He made his first-class debut for Sialkot in October 2013. He made his international debut for Pakistan in August 2016 in a One Day International (ODI) match against Ireland. The following summer, he was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Pakistan went on to win the tournament with Ali named player of the tournament after taking thirteen wickets, and took the final wicket of Jasprit Bumrah. He became the quickest bowler for Pakistan to take 50 wickets in ODIs. In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Early life and career
Hasan Ali was born into a Punjabi Jat family of the Malhi clan to Abdul Aziz Malhi, whom Ali considers a source of inspiration for his life. His hometown is Ladhe Wala Waraich, located in the Gujranwala District. His family encouraged him to play cricket from an early age. Two local cricketers, his elder brother Ata-ur-Rehman (not to be confused with the former international cricketer) and Ansar Zafar Rathore, were his childhood coaches and mentors.

Ali trained at Rathore's Young Combine Star Club in Gujranwala, where other international cricketers have also trained, including Imran Nazir. Ali's coaching began at the age of 10 and, considering his rapid progress and his physical fitness routine (up to eight hours a day everyday in a dedicated gym), by the age of 14 he was selected for the city's U16 side.

International career
In August 2016, Ali was added to Pakistan's One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against England and Ireland. He made his ODI debut for Pakistan against Ireland on 18 August 2016. He made his Twenty20 International debut for Pakistan against England on 7 September 2016.

Ali took his first five-wicket haul in ODIs against Australia on 22 January 2017.

In April 2017, Ali was added to Pakistan's Test squad for their series against the West Indies. He made his Test debut for Pakistan in the third Test against the West Indies on 10 May 2017.

In June 2017, Ali was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Pakistan won the tournament for the first time, beating arch-rivals India by 180 runs. Ali named as the player of the tournament after taking 13 wickets, and also won the Golden Ball. With 13 wickets, Ali became the joint leading wicket-taker in any Champions Trophy tournament, along with Jerome Taylor.

In October 2017, against Sri Lanka, Ali became the fastest bowler for Pakistan to take 50 wickets in ODIs in terms of number of matches played. The same month, he moved to the top of the International Cricket Council's ODI rankings for bowlers, taking 426 days from debut, the third-fastest of all time.

In 2017, Ali took the most wickets in ODIs by any bowler, with 45 dismissals and was named the Pakistan Cricket Board's Emerging Player of the Year. He finished 2017 as the top ranked fast bowler in the ICC Player Rankings in ODI cricket. The ICC also named him as the ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer of the Year.

In April 2019, Ali was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. On 31 May 2019, in Pakistan's opening match of the World Cup, Ali played in his 50th ODI match.



In September 2021, he was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

On Sep 22, 2023 The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed their 15-player squad for the upcoming 2023 World Cup to be held in India. PCB included Hasan Ali, the 29-year-old fast bowler will replace Naseem Shah due to an injury sustained during the Asia Cup. In September 2023, he was selected in Pakistan's squad for the 2023 World Cup, replacing Naseem Shah who was ruled out due to injury.

Domestic and T20 franchise career
He was recruited by Peshawar Zalmi for the 2016 Pakistan Super League. He made his debut against Karachi Kings in the first edition of the Pakistan Super League. He was retained by Zalmi in the player draft for the 2017 Pakistan Super League. He finished as the team's second-highest wicket-taker with 12 wickets from 11 matches.

In the 2019 Pakistan Super League, he was the leading wicket-taker in the competition, with twenty-five dismissals, and was named the Bowler of the Tournament.

In July 2019, he was selected to play for the Amsterdam Knights in the inaugural edition of the Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament. However, the following month the tournament was cancelled.

In January 2021, he scored a century in the final of the 2020–21 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and was named the player of the final and the tournament. In January 2021, he was named as the captain of Central Punjab for the 2020–21 Pakistan Cup. In December 2021, he was signed by Islamabad United following the players' draft for the 2022 Pakistan Super League. In March 2022, he was signed by Lancashire County Cricket Club to play in six matches in the County Championship in England. In 2023, he was traded from Islamabad United to Karachi Kings in exchange of Imad Wasim

Awards and recognition

 * PCB's Emerging Player of the year: 2017
 * ICC World ODI XI: 2017
 * ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer of the Year: 2017
 * PCB's ODI Player of the year: 2018
 * PCB's Test Cricketer of the Year: 2021
 * He was named in ICC Men's Test Team of the Year for the year 2021.