3rd June, 2019

Hasan Ali says Pakistan want to change their reputation as the great enigmas of international cricket and the seam bowler believes the squad have got what it takes to lift the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 trophy.

In the best match of the competition so far, Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side inflicted a 14-run defeat on tournament favourites England in a thrilling encounter at Trent Bridge on Monday.

“We are very happy we won,” said Hasan after Pakistan’s bowling attack restricted England to 334/9 in the host nation’s bid to reach a victory target of 349. “We had an upset against the West Indies on Friday but, yes, the guys bounced back very well. 

“We do a lot of hard work and we believe in ourselves and we have faith we can win the World Cup. People are saying we are unpredictable, but we don’t like it.

“After the first match we sat down and talked about our weaknesses and about our plans and execution, all these things. One thing is very important, our coach (Mickey Arthur) is always backing us.”

Pakistan suffered an embarrassing seven-wicket defeat at the same Trent Bridge venue on Friday after they found it impossible to deal with a steady stream of short-pitched deliveries from West Indies’ all-pace attack.

Hasan, who was appearing in his 51st one-day international, said a preparatory net session conducted by batting coach Grant Flower the day before the match against England helped to restore confidence.

“He (Flower) was doing very well with the boys, especially with the bouncer,” said the 24-year-old Punjabi player. “Yes, we didn’t play well in the last game, but we came in the next days and the guys practised very well.

“We were very disappointed we lost 11 ODI games in a row but one thing is very important, we believed in ourselves. We needed just a little bit of a kick, and we got the kick. We are very confident, our team is very good and balanced.”

Tail-ender Hasan, who contributed 10 not out with the bat and returned figures of 0/66 in 10 overs with the ball, said the fervent support his side always receive in England is a big boost to him and his team-mates.

 “We feel like we are playing at home,” he explained. “This feels like our home because there is a lot of Pakistani community who always come and support us.”

ICC Media Release