The top performers of the Pakistan Super League - opening batsman Sahibzada Farhan and veteran pacer Hasani Ali - will be hoping their purple patch continues as the T20 league approaches its final set of matches and the players gear up for the next major assignment on the calendar.
Pakistan's national selectors recalled fast bowler Hasan for this month’s T20 home series against Bangladesh. Hasan played just one T20 International in nearly three years when he returned with expensive figures of 0-42 in three overs against Ireland in Dublin in 2024.
However, the right-arm fast bowler has forced his way back into the squad with a rich haul of 15 wickets in the ongoing PSL while representing the Karachi Kings, who play Lahore Qalandars in an Eliminator clash on Thursday.
Meanwhile, veteran batters Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam continue to be sidelined after being dropped for the last two series in Zimbabwe and New Zealand as Pakistan reshape their top-order ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.
Rizwan scored 367 runs at a strike rate of 139.54 in the PSL this season as his franchise, Multan suffered nine defeats in 10 games.
Babar’s Peshawar Zalmi also missed out on the play-offs for the first time in PSL history as he finished the season with 288 runs.
Back in the mix were opening batter Farhan, who leads the PSL charts with 394 runs in 10 games for Islamabad, and fellow dashing top order players Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman. All-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Hussain Talat also made their way back into the squad.
Farhan has been in particularly belligerent form this year. The top order player has already hit four T20 centuries this year, which is the joint most in a calendar year.
Also in the team is the much maligned all-rounder Ashraf, who celebrated his national team selection by powering Quetta Gladiators to their first PSL final in six years. The final takes place on Sunday.
All-rounder Ashraf was the star for Quetta as his 45 off 23 balls propelled the former champions to 209-6 against Islamabad in the first qualifier.
Ashraf (2-33) then struck immediately with the new ball when he bowled opening batter Alex Hales for a duck off his second ball and later also hit the top of James Neesham’s off-stump as Islamabad got bowled out for 179 in 19.4 overs.
Meanwhile, Salman Ali Agha, who was appointed captain ahead of the T20 series in Australia last year, will continue to lead the side with Shadab Khan as his deputy.
The series will be the first assignment for Pakistan’s newly appointed white-ball coach Mike Hesson, who is currently in charge of Islamabad United in the PSL.
The three-match series will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on May 28, May 30 and June 1.
Pakistan T20 squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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