5 Pakistan-born players who'll play in the MLC 2024 Playoffs ft. Hassan Khan
The Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 tournament is now down to its business end after an enthralling league stage. After finishing fourth on the table with just two wins and five points, defending champions MI New York have been lucky enough to make it to the eliminator.
While their MCL 2024 campaign has not been as impressive so far, they have an opportunity to put it behind them and continue their title defense. Standing in their way are the Texas Super Kings.
With three wins, the Super Kings managed to finish third, bagging eight points. Their campaign has been topsy-turvy this time around. However, they will fancy their chances against rivals and defending champions MI New York.
San Francisco Unicorns and Washington Freedom will contest the MLC 2024 qualifier, with the aim to directly make it to the finals. Both sides have an equal number of wins - five. However, Washington Freedom finished at the top owing to their superior net run rate.
With the sides gearing up for the final stages of the tournament, here is a list of five Pakistan-born players who will be a part of the MLC 2024 Playoffs.
5 Pakistan-born players who'll play in the MLC 2024 Playoffs
#5 Zia Shahzad (Texas Super Kings)
USA all-rounder Zia Shahzad is plying his trade for the Texas Super Kings in the 2024 season. He has played only one game so far, where he managed to score two runs and returned with figures of 0/10 from two overs with the ball.
Zia Shahzad, aged 28, was born in Lahore. The leg-break spin bowler has played two first-class and three List-A games for Lahore Blues in the past.
#4 Mukhtar Ahmed (Washington Freedom)
The 31-year-old batter Mukhtar Ahmed, who now represents the USA, was born in Sialkot, Punjab.
Mukhtar played for Pakistan A and then went on to don the national jersey as well. He made his T20I debut for Pakistan against Bangladesh in 2015 and played six T20Is, where he scored 192 runs.
Mukhtar Ahmed also represented the State Bank of Pakistan team in domestic cricket and teams such as Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
#3 Zia-ul-Haq (Texas Super Kings)
Left-arm pacer Zia-ul-Haq began playing Under-19s for Pakistan and eventually represented Pakistan A as well. Unfortunately, he could never make it to the Pakistan national team.
Born in Vehari, Punjab, the 29-year-old made his first-class, List-A and T20 debuts in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively.
His domestic teams include Pakistan International Airlines, National Bank of Pakistan, and Baluchistan Warriors while he also represented Lahore Qalandars in the PSL.
Zia-ul-Haq has picked up six wickets from five games in MLC 2024 for the Texas Super Kings.
#2 Shayan Jahangir (MI New York)
USA international Shayan Jahangir is a batter who was born in Karachi. The right-hander played for the Pakistan U-19 team but failed to make it to the senior side. He played his domestic cricket for Pakistan International Airlines before shifting his base to the USA.
Jahangir has played 12 ODIs and three T20Is for the USA, scoring 338 and 21 runs, respectively.
Jahangir hasn't been able to create much of an impact in the MLC 2024 so far. In three outings for MI New York, he has scored only 12 runs at a strike rate of 44.44.
#1 Hassan Khan (San Francisco Unicorns)
Left-arm spinner Hassan Khan has put in some key performances for the San Francisco Unicorns in MLC 2024. He is their leading wicket-taker with six scalps from four innings with an average of 9.50 and an economy rate of 5.70.
Interestingly, he has also made vital contributions with the bat. Hassan Khan, with 107 runs from five innings, is their fourth-highest run-getter as well. He was born in Karachi and represented the Pakistan U-19 team.
The youngster has also been a part of the Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars in the PSL.