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LONDON: Lancashire Cricket has signed Pakistani seamer Hassan Ali for the first six matches of the 2022 LV= Insurance County Championship, a statement from the cricket club said Tuesday.
Hasan, who was the third-highest Test wicket-taker in 2021 with 41 wickets, is the ninth Pakistan player to sign a county contract for this season after Shan Masood (Derbyshire), Zafar Gohar, Naseem Shah (both Gloucestershire), Mohammad Abbas (Hampshire), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Middlesex), Mohammad Rizwan (Sussex), Azhar Ali (Worcestershire) and Haris Rauf (Yorkshire).
“I am very excited at the prospect of playing county cricket in England for the first time in my career,” Hasan said. “Emirates Old Trafford is a stadium which holds special memories for me, after making my T20 International debut against England there in 2016,” he added.
He continued, “I am very proud to follow in the footsteps of Wasim Akram 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 arrive in Manchester at the start of April following Pakistan’s series against Australia and will be available for Lancashire’s season opener against Kent at Canterbury on April 14. His final appearance will come against Essex on May 19.
Glen Chapple, Lancashire’s head coach, said: “Hasan is a high-quality player and has a fine record in first-class and Test match cricket. We believe that his red-ball skills will complement our bowling attack nicely and that the experience he has gained at international level can bring a lot into our dressing room.”
Hasan’s career
Hasan first played for Pakistan in August 2016 in a One-Day International (ODI) before making his T20 International debut against England at Emirates Old Trafford.
He then made his Test bow against the West Indies in early 2017 and has gone on to feature 17 times for his country in red-ball cricket, proving a difficult proposition for batters with his constant tight lines and variations.
The right-arm medium-fast bowler has since gone on to claim six five-fors at Test level, including against the number one ranked side, New Zealand.
Hassan was named in Pakistan’s squad for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in England and played a key role as Pakistan were crowned champions. He spearheaded the Pakistan attack, taking 17 wickets to finish as leading wicket-taker — and Player of the Tournament — while only conceding 4.29 runs per over.
