Lancashire Cricket Club have signed Pakistan’s ace right-arm pacer, Hasan Ali, for the upcoming season of the English County Championship. Hasan will be available for the first six matches of the season before returning back to Pakistan to join the national team squad for their tour of Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s Test cricketer of the year is expected to join Lancashire after the conclusion of Pakistan’s historic series against Australia. While Hasan has been ruled out of the first Test match due to an injury, he is likely to recover in time to be available for the second Test match at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
Hasan will become the fifth Pakistani player in history to represent Lancashire. Previously, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Yousuf, Junaid Khan, and Yasir Arafat have also represented the cricket club.
The 27-year old expressed his delight at joining Lancashire, “I am very excited at the prospect of playing county cricket in England for the first time in my career”.
“Emirates Old Trafford is a stadium that holds special memories for me, after making my T20 International debut against England there in 2016”, Hasan said at the signing.
“I am very proud to follow in the footsteps of Wasim Akram, a Pakistan legend, who always talks so highly of his time with Lancashire. I can’t wait to join up with the squad in April and I hope to make a significant contribution in the games that I play.”
Hasan will be hoping to gain invaluable experience from his stay at the Lancashire Cricket Club and improve his skills as a red-ball cricketer even further. Hasan has been in top form in the longest format of the game recently. He picked up 41 wickets at an average of 16.07 in 8 Test matches last year.
