In the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021, Hasan Ali dropped a crucial catch before Pakistan lost to Australia and since then the pace bowler has not been able to redeem himself. The fast bowler who was once ranked as the top ODI bowler in the world now seems to be the weaker link in the national team. Although he did well in Bangladesh soon after, his performances have been poor otherwise.
Since his debut in 2016, Hasan Ali has seen lows and highs in terms of both form and fitness, but his current rough patch is now suggesting he has lost the spark he is known for.
Following is a statistical analysis of Hasan Ali’s career:
Early Rise
After appearing as an emerging bowler in the very first edition of PSL, Hasan Ali received a call for national duties in August 2016 against West Indies. In his first year of playing international cricket, Hasan Ali picked up 11 wickets in 8 ODI matches at an average of 31.18 and an economy of 5.30.
A few months later in the second edition of PSL, Hasan Ali made headlines as Peshawar Zalmi won its maiden title. In PSL 2017, Hasan Ali bagged 12 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 21.66 and an economy of 7.12 ending up as the third-highest wicket-taker of the season.
The Hero of Champions Trophy
Soon after PSL 2, the young Pakistan team was off to a big challenge as they played ICC Champions Trophy 2017. As Pakistan ended their sensational journey of the tournament with a mighty victory against India in the final, Hasan Ali rose to new heights in the world of cricket.
He was named player of the tournament after finishing as the highest wicket-taker. In 5 matches, Hasan Ali took 13 wickets at an incredible average of 14.69 and an even spectacular economy of 4.29.
Here is the list of top wicket-takers in Champions Trophy 2017:
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| Hasan Ali | 5 | 13 | 14.69 | 4.29 |
| Josh Hazelwood | 3 | 9 | 15.77 | 5.07 |
| Junaid Khan | 4 | 8 | 19.37 | 4.58 |
The Glory of 2017
In his first match of 2017, Hasan Ali was an emerging bowler perched at 72nd spot in the ODI bowling rankings, but he stunned everyone as he ruled the world cricket with the ball.
Hasan Ali’s form in 2017 was a dream come true, as he outclassed the top bowlers in the world to be ranked as the number one ODI bowler in no time. In 2017, the pacer played 18 matches in which he picked up 45 wickets averaging 17.04. He remained economical as he went for 5.03 runs an over only. It was in the same year that he recorded 3 of his 5 five-wicket hauls in the 50-over format.
The Setback
When 2018 began, Hasan Ali was the top bowler in the ODI format, breaking records and making new ones. But just like any other dream, Hasan Ali’s extraordinary form came to an end as he suffered an injury in July 2018. Although the injury was termed minor, it later seemed to be the first crack in the formidable form of the star pacer. Just as quick as he had climbed up the spots, Hasan Ali slipped to the 13th position by the end of 2018.
World Cup 2019 Horror Show
Playing ICC ODI World Cup 2019, the star of Champions trophy was nowhere to be seen. Four contests of megaevent witnessed a clueless Hasan Ali as he took only two wickets at an average of 128. His economy was not pleasing either, going for 7.75 runs per over.
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| Muhammad Amir | 8 | 17 | 21.05 | 4.90 |
| Shaheen Afridi | 5 | 16 | 14.62 | 4.96 |
| Hasan Ali | 4 | 2 | 128.00 | 7.75 |
Hasan Ali could not recover throughout the year as he slipped down to the 40th spot in the ICC ODI bowling rankings. In the entire year, he managed only 7 wickets at an average of 89.28 and an economy of 6.61.
Further Downfall
Then came 2020, a tough year for cricket all around the globe, but it was the toughest for Hasan Ali. Suffering from serious injuries, the pacer went through various surgeries and treatments. Following his injuries, he missed out on all sorts of cricket except PSL where he appeared in 9 matches bagging 8 wickets an average and economy of 34.37 and 8.59 respectively. However, he did not appear at the international level.
Solid Comeback
In 2021, Hasan Ali made a strong comeback in Test cricket. Playing 8 Test matches, the pacer took 41 wickets at an impressive average of 16.07. Following Ravichandran Ashwin and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali was the third-highest wicket-taker in the long format of the game in 2021. He also bagged a 10-fer in 2021.
Here’s the list of top three wicket takers in Test cricket in 2021:
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 9 | 54 | 16.64 | 2.32 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | 9 | 47 | 17.06 | 2.73 |
| Hasan Ali | 8 | 41 | 16.07 | 3.10 |
White Ball Cricket
Although Hasan Ali bounced back well with the red ball, he could not restore his elite form in the limited-overs game. Playing only four ODI matches in 2021, Hasan Ali took 7 wickets at an average of 32.71 and an expensive economy of 7.08. It was in July 2021 that Hasan Ali slipped down to his lowest ever ranking (60) in ODI cricket since 2017.
In T20 cricket, Hasan Ali bagged 25 wickets in 18 matches at a decent average of 19.28. However, it was his economy that proved at times painful for the team. Giving away runs at crucial moments, Hasan Ali went for an overall economy of 8.07 last year while he was more expensive in the death overs conceding runs at the rate of 9.89 runs per over.
Culprit of T20 World Cup 2021?
In the mega event last year where the rest of the team performed exceptionally, Hasan Ali seemed like a weaker link. Playing all six matches for Pakistan, Hasan Ali failed to strike as he managed only 5 wickets at an average of 41.40. He remained expensive too with an economy of 9.
While Hasan Ali felt lost with the ball, his performance remained unnoticed as Pakistan managed to reach the semifinals with a perfect win record. However, it was in the semi-final against Australia that Hasan Ali disappointed cricket lovers even further by dropping the crucial catch in the final moments of the thrilling contest.
Ending Pakistan’s dreamlike campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021, Hasan Ali faced massive criticism. The hero of the Champions Trophy is now remembered as the culprit of the T20 World Cup.
Here is the list of bowling performances by Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2021:
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| Shadab Khan | 6 | 9 | 15.33 | 6.00 |
| Haris Rauf | 6 | 8 | 21.00 | 7.30 |
| Shaheen Afridi | 6 | 7 | 24.14 | 7.04 |
| Hasan Ali | 6 | 5 | 41.40 | 9.00 |
| Imad Wasim | 6 | 4 | 28.50 | 5.70 |
Current Form
It seems like Hasan Ali has not yet recovered from the fiasco of the T20 World Cup because his form in PSL remained as poor for Islamabad United as it was for Pakistan. In 9 matches of PSL 2022, Hasan Ali took 9 wickets averaging 40.55. His economy as the main bowler was damaging for Islamabad United as he went for 10.84 runs per over.
In the historic Test series against Australia, Hasan Ali could not prove his worth in the long format either. Playing two out of three Test matches, Hasan Ali took only 2 wickets at an average of 96.
Although he was clearly out of form, Hasan Ali was still given a chance in the first ODI against Australia. It was in this match that Hasan Ali left no other option for the management but to drop him in the next match. Despite being the main bowler in the absence of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali remained wicketless and went for an expensive economy of 7.00.
Hasan Ali is currently ranked at 50th position in the ODI bowling charts while he is at 62nd spot in the T20I rankings. In Test cricket, Hasan Ali is considerably ranked better owing to his remarkable form last year. He is at 15th position in Test bowling rankings.
Yearly Breakdown – Test
| Year | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| 2016 | – | – | – | – |
| 2017 | 2 | 6 | 27.33 | 2.30 |
| 2018 | 6 | 22 | 26.09 | 3.11 |
| 2019 | 1 | 3 | 52.66 | 4.64 |
| 2020 | – | – | – | – |
| 2021 | 8 | 41 | 16.07 | 3.10 |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 96.00 | 3.04 |
Yearly Breakdown – T20I
| Year | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| 2016 | 3 | 6 | 17.50 | 9.54 |
| 2017 | 9 | 12 | 21.41 | 7.67 |
| 2018 | 15 | 15 | 26.06 | 8.31 |
| 2019 | 3 | 2 | 62.00 | 10.33 |
| 2020 | – | – | – | – |
| 2021 | 18 | 25 | 19.28 | 8.07 |
| 2022 | – | – | – | – |
Yearly Breakdown – ODI
| Year | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| 2016 | 8 | 11 | 31.18 | 5.30 |
| 2017 | 18 | 45 | 17.04 | 5.03 |
| 2018 | 15 | 19 | 34.00 | 5.70 |
| 2019 | 12 | 7 | 89.28 | 6.61 |
| 2020 | – | – | – | – |
| 2021 | 4 | 7 | 32.71 | 7.08 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | – | 7.00 |
