Malik quite impressed by pacer Hasnain

dubai — Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has been left quite impressed by young tearaway fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain and felt that with proper guidance, he could be a star in the making for Pakistan cricket.

The 18-year-old, who hails from Hyderabad, can consistently hit speeds of over 140kmph and has been one of the finds.

Hasnain, a relative greenhorn, has played for the Pakistan Under-19 team, and has featured in two games in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL). He took one for 29 against the Lahore Qalandars and one for 20 against Multan Sultans.

And Malik said Hasnain has a bright future with Pakistan. “He is a very good bowler and if he gets the right guidance, he is such that he could be Pakistan’s best hope,” said Malik.

“There are two or three other emerging players who have impressed and what is required now is the right guidance. And through that, if a youngster benefits, it will be good. It is a good sign for Pakistan cricket,” he added.

Hasnain, like most budding Pakistan pacers, grew up playing tape-ball cricket. And thanks to his supportive family, he enrolled in the Sindh Cricket Academy when he was 13 and went on to play for Hyderabad Under-16s.

He picked up eight wickets in three matches and that paved the way for his selection to Pakistan’s Under-16 tour of Australia in 2016. Hasnain took four wickets in two one-day games and two in the T20 matches there.

Hasnain featured in the Pepsi PCB Cricket Stars Under-16s Tournament in 2016 where he snapped up 11 wickets in four matches. He moved to the Under-19 level where he took eight wickets in the Inter Region Under-19 One Day Tournament in the 2016-17 season and 10 wickets in the Inter Region Under-19 Three Day Tournament in the same season.