Pacer Hasan Ali keen to spearhead Pakistan's pace attack in T20 Tournament

LAHORE: The upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which begins for Pakistan on 24th October with a high-octane clash against India, will be Hasan's first T20 World Cup and the 27-year-old pacer is eager to spearhead Pakistan's pace attack with his exemplary performances.

"I want to lead my side's pace attack and put up exemplary performances," Hasan, who has 52 T20I wickets at 21.7 apiece, told a virtual media conference on Sunday.

Hasan Ali announced his arrival at the world stage during Pakistan's successful ICC Champions Trophy campaign in 2017 when he was named as the best bowler of the tournament. That was Hasan's first global event after the pacer had made his Pakistan debut in 2016.

Hasan said, "We have played a lot of cricket in the UAE and understand the conditions there. The pitches there are on the slower side and I hardly see a team scoring 200 there. The key will be to bowl according to situation and bring in variations."

After the India clash at Dubai, Pakistan will take on New Zealand at Sharjah on 26 October, following which they will return to Dubai to play Afghanistan on 29 October. They will play their last two matches against the sides who qualify from round one on 2 and 7 November.

Pakistan, on Sunday, began their pre-departure preparations with a gym session at Lahore's National High Performance Centre. Before their departure on 15 October, the touring party will feature in a scenario-based match on 14 October at Gaddafi Stadium. With two weeks left in Pakistan's tournament opener, Hasan said the side is looking to make the most of the time at hand. Hasan Ali said, "This is a global tournament and every game is important here. We have good two weeks before our first game and we will utilise it as much as possible."

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021