'Leave him alone' - Wasim Akram defends Hasan Ali amid his poor performance in series opener

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has come out in defence of fast bowler Hasan Ali who had a forgettable outing in the first One-day International (ODI) against West Indies at Multan Cricket Stadium on June 8 (Wednesday). Akram has urged fans to leave him alone and also stressed that he is behind the Pakistan pacer.

Akram highlighted that people, including journalists, begin to question his place in the team even before he bowls his second over of the match. The former left-arm quick reminded fans that Ali had a good season with Lancashire and called him a match-winner. Against West Indies, Ali conceded 68 runs in 10 overs and was the only bowler in the line-up to go wicketless. 

As an ex-captain, my support is with Hasan Ali: Wasim Akram

In the first ODI, West Indies amassed a total of 305 runs in the first innings, thanks to opening batter Shai Hope’s brilliant knock of 127 runs off 134 balls and Sharmarh Brooks’ crucial 70 runs off 83 balls followed by the finishing touch of 32 runs off 23 balls by Rovman Powell. Haris Rauf ended with the best figures, picking up four wickets for 77 runs in 10 overs, but the pick of the lot was the leg-spinner, Shadab Khan, who picked up one wicket in 10 overs and conceded only 37 runs.

Pakistan chased down the total in 49.2 overs with skipper Babar Azam scoring a splendid ton of 103. He was well supported by opener Imam-ul-Haq (65) and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Rizwan (59). Khushdil Shah, at number five, was the game-changer at the back end of the innings with a blistering 41* off 23 balls.

“Guys, I have a request. Please leave Hasan Ali alone. Please leave him alone. If we don’t give him confidence, then who will. He hasn’t even bowled his second over and starts trending – ‘why is he playing’. Even our journalists are writing. He performed when he was in Lancashire, people are praising him. He’s a match-winner. ‘So, Hasan don’t worry about these guys. We are all behind you. As an ex-cricketer, as an ex-captain, my support is with Hasan Ali,” said Wasim Akram in a video he shared on his official Twitter handle.

مبارک 🇵🇰 ٹیم کو زبردست کھیلے ویسٹ انڈیز کے خلاف پہلا میچ اور بابر کو بھی مبارک، پلیز حسن علی کا پیچھا چھوڑ دو وہ دوسرا اوور نہیں کررہا ہوتا اور ٹرینڈ کررہا ہوتا کہ کیوں کھلایاوہ میچ ونر ہے میں سابق کپتان اس کے پیچھے ہوں۔ ٹوئٹر پر تو یہ حال ہوگیا ہے کہ
(ہوئے باندر تے چھال نہ مارے) pic.twitter.com/xzBhlvTs5A

— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) June 9, 2022