Hasan Ali

Hasan Ali is a medium-fast bowler with a simple bowling action and a blend of variations. He made his first-class debut at the age of 19 and impressive against Lahore Ravi with a four-wicket haul in the first innings. His career started with club cricket and rose up to the regional Under-16 level but he did not make youth squads at national level. However, he managed to gain some attention in the 2015 National T20 Cup in where he picked up eight wickets in four matches under the captaincy of Shoaib Malik. His 17 wickets at 17.05 in the National One-Day cup in 2016 was a key part of him being promoted to the Pakistan side. Peshawar Zalmi head coach Mohammad Akram had been monitoring this process at the domestic circuit and snapped him form the emerging category in Pakistan Super League.

Hasan made a smooth transition to international cricket, grabbing two five-fors in his first 15 ODIs and impressing with his tight lines on his Test debut - which coincided with the farewells of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan - as Pakistan pulled off a last-gasp win in Dominica. Still, no one could quite imagine the impact he would have on his first global tournament, the 2017 Champions Trophy.

Much like his team, Hasan began the tournament badly, going for 70 in his ten overs in a heavy opening-match defeat to India, before turning his form around in unexpectedly dramatic manner. Taking three wickets in each of Pakistan's next four matches, he finished as the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 13 at an average of 14.69, while only conceding 4.29 an over. Hasan's ability to strike regular middle-overs blows was a key factor in Pakistan lifting their first global ODI trophy since the 1992 World Cup, and his Player-of-the-Tournament award richly deserved.
ESPNcricinfo staff