Hasan Ali Rested For First T20I vs England Due To Leg Strain

Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali will miss the first T20I against England on Friday after picking up a strain in his left leg during a practice session at Trent Bridge, the venue for the game, a day before the match.

The PCB announced this news on the morning of the first match.

Hasan Ali snapped a 5-wicket haul in the second ODI at Lord’s against England – his first ODI 5-fer since 2017 – and picked 6 wickets in total in the 3-match series, in which the hosts completed a white-wash over the visitors.

“Hasan Ali has been rested for the first of the three T20Is against England as a precautionary measure due to a strain in his left leg, which he picked during a training session at Trent Bridge on Thursday,” the PCB said in a released statement.

“The fast bowler will now be assessed ahead of the second T20I, following which decision on his participation will be made,” the statement added. 

Hasan Ali suffered a downfall post his tournament-winning heroics in the 2017 Champions Trophy. He sustained a back injury that ruled him out for over a year; the pacer was then hit by a groin injury on return, forcing an absence that extended 20 months.

Hasan Ali returned with a bang this year across formats and has once again become a key pacer for Babar Azam. So far this year, he has snared 46 wickets in 18 innings with 5 five-wicket hauls, across the three formats for Pakistan, at a brilliant average of 16.69.

England’s big guns return for the T20I series after being quarantined during the ODIs:

There are ominous signs for Pakistan going into the T20I series as England sees a return of a strong squad after the first-choice players completed their quarantine period. The entire contingent, including captain Eoin Morgan, which hosted Sri Lanka for the ODI series, were placed in isolation following seven covid-19 positive results.

Ben Stokes was called upon as well as several uncapped and inexperienced players to play Pakistan in the ODIs. The hosts, despite being a second-string outfit, thumped Pakistan 3-0 in the ODIs.

Lewis Gregory, Jake Ball, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, who all impressed in the ODI series, have been retained for the T20Is while Ben Stokes is sent back to continue his rest. Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Mark Wood, Liam Dawson and Sam Billings, who all were part of the Sri Lanka T20I series, have also been given their timely rest. Head coach Chris Silverwood too has been granted a break with Paul Collingwood taking up the duties.

Pakistan, on the other hand, would be looking to start afresh and register their first win on the tour.

England T20I Squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey

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