Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan’s bowling sensation Hassan Ali has said he wants to bowl out South Africa’s Hashim Amla when he plays his first international match before a home crowd at next week’s World XI tour here. Ali, 23, the highest wicket-taker at the ICC Champions Trophy which the underdogs Pakistan won earlier this year, said he “can’t wait” to take on the star-studded World XI in the three-match Twenty20 series. It is the highest-profile international fixture to take place in Pakistan since the deadly militant attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team eight years ago drove international cricket – and most other sports – from the country. “This is my first international match on my home ground in Pakistan. I am very excited to play in front of my home crowd on my home ground,” he told reporters after a practice session at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday.

The attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009, which killed eight people and wounded nine, isolated Pakistan, forcing it to host its “home” fixtures at neutral venues. Ali said he was “sad” about this, but put the international players who are coming for the World XI on notice, especially Amla.

“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 brother Amla, it would give me more pleasure,” he said. He said he would partner with strike bowler Mohammad Aamir to take as many wickets as possible. “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.” He said coaches were working on fitness and his reverse swing at training. The government is preparing to deploy several thousand security forces in Lahore for the series, scheduled to begin on September 12.

Published in Daily Times, September 9^th 2017.