Pakistan hope Hasan will shine again in CT final

LONDON: After spending a night full of celebration in Cardiff, Pakistan took the road to London brimming with confidence ahead of their Champions Trophy final at The Oval on Sunday.

Hasan Ali, one of the heroes of Pakistan’s ascent to the final, kept sleeping on the long journey to the British capital where Pakistan arrived on Thursday for the first time in this tournament. He must have been sleeping off all the exhaustion of the last couple of weeks.

Against England on Wednesday, the young pacer suffered a minor shin problem in his three-wicket haul, that was one of the key reasons why Pakistan tore out pages of the form book on their way to a convincing eight-wicket win against title favourites England in Cardiff on Wednesday.

A team official told ‘The News’ that they were confident that after some treatment over the next couple of days Hasan will be fully fit for the final.

Hasan, who was belted for 70 runs in his 10 overs by India in Pakistan’s opening game of the Champions Trophy, has taken three-wicket hauls in the previous three games against South Africa, Sri Lanka and England.

With ten wickets, Hasan is currently the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. His figures are the best for a Pakistan bowler in one edition of the Champions Trophy.

Hasan’s 3-35 against England was his eighth three-wicket haul in 20 ODIs. Since his debut, all of Pakistan’s remaining bowlers have a combined seven three-fors.

Hasan says that bowling coach Azhar Mahmood has helped him in giving his best in England.

“I bowled the same way I did against South Africa. Against India, in the last three overs, it didn’t go well but I stuck to my plans and Azhar Mahmood has helped me,” he said.

Sarfraz Ahmed, Pakistan’s captain, is hoping that Hasan will shine again in Sunday’s final at The Oval.

“He is a very energetic bowler and very impressive. Whenever he comes, he gets wickets. If he again gets wickets in the final, that will help us. Hopefully, he will do well,” he said.