Mohammad Ali was on song in this year’s edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), as he took 19 wickets in 12 games for the Multan Sultans. He was the second-highest wicket taker of the tournament just behind his teammate, Usama Mir.
Then in the President Cup while featuring for Sui Northern Gas Limited (SNGPL), Ali took 10 wickets in 6 innings at an average of 21.50 and this time he was the third-highest wicket taker of the competition.
And in recently-concluded four-day match series against Bangladesh A, Ali took a total of nine wickets, including a six-wicket haul.
So, after a string of impressive performances, Ali was named for both Pakistan Shaheens and the national side as the side prepared to face Bangladesh.
While talking to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ali showed his eagerness to make a comeback in the national side.
“Comebacks are always tough and challenging. Obviously, you have to start from zero and perform again. In fact, it wasn’t that difficult for me because I have seen so many failures and rejections in my life.I accepted it wholeheartedly. I accepted the fact that I wasn’t ready for this stage and couldn’t perform well. That’s why I was dropped”
The 31-year-old pacer credited his friend and coach Mansoor Amjad for his success and revealed how he helped him in modifying his action.
“He (Mansoor Amjad) has always supported me. From the coaching point of view, he has helped me a lot in bowling.He modified some things in my action. Because of that, I benefited a lot. I topped consecutively for four years.I used to have hyperextension. My hand used to go back a lot. Because of that, I used to have issues with my back.We worked on that. We improved that hyperextension. There are other small aspects like this.We improved the wrist position”
Since his introduction to the national side, Ali has been vocal about how players should give equal importance to their studies as much as their game. In his opinion, education helps players in cricket as well.
“The infrastructure and culture in Pakistan has developed a concept that either you play cricket or you study. When we play cricket, we completely stop studying. I don’t think this should happen. Because when we retire from cricket, we don’t have anything to do.I want all the youngsters to focus on their studies because it will help you a lot in cricket”
Ali made his Test debut against England in the 2022 Test series but could not make an immediate impact and pitches didn’t help either. So, the upcoming series will be crucial for his future if he gets a chance to feature his side again. He is a workhorse bowler, who can bowl long and long spells, keeping his line and length on par.
Pakistan Test squad for Bangladesh series:
Shan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel (vice-capt), Aamer Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi
