Hasan Ali targets 'brother' Hashim Amla in Independence Cup
What's the story?
Pakistan's latest pace bowling sensation Hasan Ali has set his sights on scalping the big wicket of Hashim Amla in their upcoming 3-match T20I series on home soil against World XI. Terming the South African batting icon as 'brother', the 23-year old has stuck a bulls-eye on the top-order batsman.
"This is my first international match on my home ground in Pakistan. I'm very excited to play in front of my home crowd on my home ground", Hasan told reporters at the end of a gruelling practice session at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
He revealed, "The World XI is a good team, it has very good players, I will try to bowl well to all of them. Especially I would like to out (dismiss) brother Hashim Amla, it would give me more pleasure. There are partnerships in bowling too just like batting. If one bowler in the pair is being thrashed, the other tries to contain, so there is no competition (between himself and Mohammad Amir)."
The background
With his bustling pace and remarkable control, Hasan was one of the major reasons behind Pakistan's unexpected run to the Champions Trophy title. He ended up as the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps from 5 matches at an average of 14.69 and economy rate of 4.29.
The heart of the matter
Aptly titled Independence Cup, the upcoming series against World XI provides an opportunity for the Pakistani players to finally play on home soil. Depending on the progress of the series, visits by Sri Lanka and West Indies are also in the pipeline.
Naturally, Hasan expressed excitement on the prospect of international cricket returning to Pakistan after a significant period of time. Apart from a brief visit to Zimbabwe in 2015, the cricket crazy nation has been deprived of hosting their favourite sport on home soil. Terming the circumstances surrounding Pakistan's inability to host cricket in recent times as 'sad', the fast bowler hoped that the World XI series would convince more teams to visit his country.
What's next?
The 3 T20Is in the series between Pakistan and World XI will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on September 12, 13 and 15.
Author's take
Having displayed his prowess in the Champions Trophy, Hasan will be looking to continue his sparkling form against World XI as well. Even though the occasion of high-profile international cricket returning to Pakistan will take centre stage, Amla will need to watch out for the irresistible seamer too.