Hasan Ali speaks out on T20 World Cup squad exclusion, hails Babar Azam as 'King'

Pakistan's medium pacer Hasan Ali has opened up about his omission from the national team for the recently concluded T20 World Cup, which was recently co-hosted by the USA and West Indies.

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Hasan shared insights into his recent performances, expressing optimism about his future contributions to the team.

"I don't regret it. Obviously, I wanted to play, and I wanted to perform and play. I don't want to play without performance, and it's neither in my nature nor do I want to play that kind of cricket, and I never have. So I don't regret it because the management had already told me that I was Haris Rauf's replacement only for the Ireland and England tours. So when Haris gets fit, you will automatically be out," Hasan said.

"As soon as Haris got fit, he came back. The match I got was also suddenly given to me because they had communicated with me, Wahab, and Babar, and I was in the World Cup reserves as far as I know. Even in that match, I didn't perform, which was very disappointing for me," he added.

The right-arm pacer didn't mince words, referring to skipper Babar Azam as "King" despite his recent setbacks in major tournaments and series.

He also highlighted Babar's inclusion in the elite group of batsmen known as the "Fab Four," which now includes Babar as the fifth player.

"He is the king of Pakistan's batting lineup, and he should improve. I should improve; everyone should improve. And you can see that he has also improved. It's not like he hasn't done it. Wherever he has performed in batting, I don't think he has given a bad performance anywhere, except in India in the recent World Cup, where he didn't score a century," he said.

"You must have heard of the Fab Four and Fab Five. We used to hear about the Fab Four, which are these four players (Kohli, Williamson, Smith, and Root). Because of Babar Azam, it became the Fab Five, as Babar is the fifth player in the Fab Five. Babar was the one who joined them, and he has improved. And he's the King. I still stand by my statement, and I hope he will get even better. And yes, (King krlega) King will achieve it," he concluded.