Table of Contents
In 2019, Quetta Gladiators clinched their maiden Pakistan Super League (PSL) title, and the breakout star of their campaign was a teenage fast bowler named Mohammad Hasnain. Clocking speeds in excess of 145 kph, Hasnain delivered match-winning spells, including a game-changing performance in the final that earned him the Player of the Match award.
That same year, he debuted for Pakistan in ODIs against Australia in Sharjah. Expectations soared as fans and experts saw a future spearhead of Pakistan’s pace attack.
Raw Pace, Little Refinement
However, international cricket quickly exposed Hasnain’s limitations. In the high-scoring bilateral series against Australia and England, his strategy—relying heavily on short balls and sheer pace—proved ineffective. Opposition batters handled his predictable lengths with ease, and Hasnain struggled to make a lasting impression.
While fast bowlers often face a learning curve, the worrying part is that six years on, Hasnain’s game shows minimal evolution. He remains a bowler with pace but without polish, and the blame doesn’t lie with him alone.
Interrupted Development: Pandemic and Bench Time
Hasnain’s early years coincided with COVID-19, which disrupted international schedules and limited opportunities for emerging players. Although squad sizes expanded, the match time didn’t.
In 2020, he traveled with the team to England for a T20I series, but the first match was washed out, and with five other pacers in the squad, he didn’t get a game.
Later that year, he played one ODI against Zimbabwe, taking a five-wicket haul, sparking hopes of a resurgence. Yet, the pattern of brief appearances followed by long absences continued.
Inconsistent Selection and Missed Chances
On tours to New Zealand and South Africa, Hasnain played only sporadically—often one match at the end of a series or none at all. Despite being in squads regularly, he wasn’t entrusted with consistent game time.
Between 2019 and 2024, he played just 43 international matches, the seventh-most among Pakistani pacers during that period. But crucially, these matches were spread thin—his busiest year was 2021, with only 10 appearances.
For comparison, Mohammad Amir, who was out of the team from 2021 until the 2024 T20 World Cup, has only five fewer matches than Hasnain in that span.
Why Was Hasnain Picked in the First Place?
Hasnain’s PSL 2019 form made him the poster boy for a new breed of Pakistani pacers—middle-overs enforcers who relied on pace and short balls. This model, seen later in Shahnawaz Dahani and Ihsanullah, thrived in the PSL, especially against local batters.
In 2019 and 2020, Hasnain bowled 23 short balls, second only to Wahab Riaz (26), exploiting local batters’ discomfort against short-pitched bowling. However, this tactic rarely succeeded at the international level, particularly against overseas batters who averaged 30.9 and struck at 206.7 against short balls during the 2019–2024 PSL period.
Skill Stagnation: Same Bowler, Six Years On
The most glaring issue in Hasnain’s career has been the lack of visible growth in his skill set. While he has occasionally impressed in overseas T20 leagues like The Hundred and Big Bash, his success has often depended on favourable conditions. In standard white-ball conditions, his limitations become obvious.
His bowling action was later suspended, halting his progress. Upon return, with a remodelled action and a stint at a speed development camp in England, he performed reasonably well in domestic List A cricket. But even then, he largely remained a middle-overs option relying on the same tools—short balls and pace.
The Missing First-Class Chapter
A key factor in Hasnain’s underdevelopment is his lack of First-Class cricket exposure. Often traveling with national squads but not playing, he missed multiple domestic seasons—periods crucial for any bowler looking to develop line, length, control, and swing.
Unlike peers who refined their skills in red-ball cricket and returned to white-ball formats with improved control, Hasnain never truly got that foundation.
England Stunned 3–1 by Senegal in Friendly Defeat at City Ground
The System or the Player: Who’s Responsible?
The Pakistani system has been criticized for fast-tracking young pacers based on raw talent without adequate development frameworks. In Hasnain’s case, there was no sustained coaching plan, no tailored workload management, and little First-Class development.
Yet, other pacers from the same generation have improved. So, is the system at fault for failing to support him—or has Hasnain himself been unable to adapt and learn?
It’s likely a combination of both: a fragile pipeline with over-reliance on T20 scouting and a player whose one-dimensional skill set couldn’t evolve in isolation.
Where Does Hasnain Go From Here?
Now in his mid-20s, Mohammad Hasnain still has time. He possesses elite pace, something you can’t coach. But for a long-term career at the top level, he needs to:
- Focus on line-and-length consistency
- Develop a new-ball swing option
- Improve death-bowling variations
- Gain more experience in First-Class cricket
With proper mentoring and consistent domestic participation, he could still become a dependable asset. But the clock is ticking—and unless Pakistan’s cricket structure supports a full-circle development approach, Hasnain risks becoming another tale of wasted potential.
