Afridi surprised by Hasan Ali’s inclusion, justifies Usama Mir’s exclusion

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi expressed surprise over the selection of pacer Hassan Ali in the recent squad announcement for Ireland and England series.

Speaking on a local news channel, Afridi acknowledged the need for an experienced backup bowler, but questioned Hasan's recent performances. He suggested that young pacers Zaman Khan or Mohammad Ali might have been better options.

"I was also a bit surprised by Hasan Ali's selection. Maybe the selection committee thought that we need an experienced backup bowler, but if I talk about performance, I don't see any such performance from Hasan Ali. I was thinking that Zaman Khan or Mohammad Ali could have been selected," Afridi said.

Afridi justified the exclusion of Usama Mir, who has shown inconsistency despite some good performances.

"Usama has performed well, but he has not been consistent with his bowling. But honestly, I think it would have been a tough decision for the selection committee to bench Usama. They must have seen that Shadab, Imad, and Iftikhar are their spinning options. Agha Salman also bowls, and Saim Ayub does too. So there are a lot of options. So maybe Usama was benched because he was not performing very well," he further added.

It is worth noting that Pakistan selection committee on Thursday announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming Ireland and England T20I series.

The national selection committee brought back Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, and Salman Ali Agha to the 18-player squad, while Usama Mir and Zaman Khan didn't make the final cut.