Dubai January 18: Hasan Ali capped a memorable year by becoming the first Pakistan player to be voted as the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year. The 23-year-old had won the Player of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 award and finished the year as number-one ranked ODI bowler after having started the year in 75th position. In the voting period, Hasan Ali took 48 wickets in 21 ODIs and 16 wickets in 11 T20Is.
An excited Hasan Ali said: “It has been memorable past 16 months for me as a young player and Pakistan as a team. And to be recognised by the game’s governing body as its emerging cricketer, is something that means a lot to me and the Pakistan cricket family. This acknowledgement will not only inspire me to do even better in the coming seasons but will also convince the next generation of cricketers that hard work and good performances can never go unnoticed.
“I would like to thank all my peers for their support, especially each and every member of the Pakistan cricket team as we showed the world what we are capable of. This award is for all those who believed and backed us in the journey, and look forward to their continued patronage as the next 18 months will be more challenging with the World Cup in 2019.”
Meanwhile along with Hasan, batting sensation Babar Azam was also recognised for his outstanding run with the bat in the ODI format as the 23 year-old sealed a spot in the ICC ODI Team of the Year.
ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year 2017 (in batting order):
- David Warner (Australia)
- Rohit Sharma (India)
- Virat Kohli (captain) (India)
- Babar Azam (Pakistan)
- AB de Villiers (South Africa)
- Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper) (South Africa)
- Ben Stokes (England)
- Trent Boult (New Zealand)
- Hasan Ali (Pakistan)
- Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
- Jasprit Bumrah (India)
