Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali celebrates his 26th birthday on Thursday (July 2, 2020). The right-arm pacer is a vital cog of the national team and his record in international cricket is impressive too. Ali is not from the traditional breed of Pakistani fast bowlers who aim to set the speed gun on fire. However, he relies more on his bucket of variations to pierce the defences of batsmen. Also, Ali is the fastest Pakistan bowler to reach the landmark of 50 ODI wickets, achieving the feat in 24 games. Below, we’ll look at the some of his best performances. Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz Among Six Pakistan Cricketers to Test Negative for COVID-19 for Second Time.

Making his international debut in August 2016, Ali didn’t take long in cementing his place in the side. His variations bagged a lot of eyeballs through which he gave headaches to many batsmen. He was especially brilliant in the death overs where the batsmen aim to accumulate maximum runs. After showcasing his brilliance in white-ball cricket, Ali got a break in the Test and he didn’t fail to perform over there too. Along with his bowling prowess, Ali is also a handy batsman lower down the order who can score quick runs. As the star bowler, turns a year older, let’s revisit some of his best performances.

5/52 Vs Australia In Sydney

The Men in Yellow were on a role during the 4th ODI Of Pakistan’s 2017 Tour of Australia. Veterans like Mohammed Amir and Junaid Khan were taken to cleaners. However, Ali rose to the occasion and bowled a stellar spell. He wasn’t just economical but also took wickets at regular intervals. The youngster eventually claimed a five-fer. However, Aussies posted 353/6 while batting first and eventually won the game by 86 runs.

5/38 Vs West Indies In Guyana

Ali tormented the Caribbean batsmen in the 2nd ODI of Pakistan’s 2017 Tour of West Indies and guided his side over the line. Defending 282 in the second innings, the right-arm pacer ran through the opposition batting order and took wickets in a cluster. Courtesy his stupendous performance, the Men in Green won the clash by 74 runs.

5/34 Vs Sri Lanka In Abu Dhabi

Another Hasan Ali special came against Sri Lanka in the 3rd match of 2017 ODI series. Lankan Skipper Upul Tharanga opted to bat first after winning the toss. However, the decision proved to be a disaster as Ali continued his purple patch. After taking wickets with the new ball, Ali came back in the death overs and added some more scalps in his tally. Thanks to his five-fer, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 208 runs and lost the game by seven wickets.

3/19 Vs India In The Oval

Stakes were very high when India met Pakistan in the finals of 2017 Champions Trophy. Batting first, the Men in Green posted a mammoth score of 338/4 and the track looked ideal for the batsmen. However, that wasn’t the case when India took the field to chase the target. Ali took three important wickets as India got bundled out for 158 runs and Pakistan lifted the title.

5/45 Vs New Zealand In Abu Dhabi

After proving his mettle in limited-overs cricket, Ali had the onus to showcase his ability in the longest format of the game. Well, his best performance in whites came in the first match of 2018 Test series between Pakistan and New Zealand. On a spin-friendly Abu Dhabhi deck, Ali claimed his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. His efforts, however, went in vain as the Kiwis won the game by four runs.

Ali will not feature in the forthcoming Pakistan Tour of England as he’s suffering from an injury. However, he will aim to make a brilliant comeback as soon as possible in order to showcase his famous celebrations.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 02, 2020 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).