LONDON: Veteran England pacer James Anderson has lauded Pakistani fast bowler Hasan Ali for his exceptional performance for Lancashire in the County Championship Division One.

The 27-year-old Hasan was roped in by Lancashire for this edition and has proved to be great asset to the team. He is the joint leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets in eight innings, which include two five-wicket hauls.

Anderson said that Hasan has been outstanding and called his Lancashire team-mate an “absolute legend”.

“Hasan Ali is an absolute legend, great guy and bowler,” Anderson told BBC Radio 5 Live. “He’s quite quick and he gives it everything, every ball. He’s been amazing for Lancashire.

“He got Player of the Month for Lancashire in April and he’s got skills. It’s been great bowling with him. You can learn a lot from people you have not played with before when you see how they operate and see the different things they do. Although he’s been asking me a lot of questions about what I do, I’ve also been watching him and have learned some stuff from him.

“He just loves cricket and bowling. When you sign an overseas player, sometimes you’re never quite sure if they’re coming to get an experience of the conditions or the money. But he literally loves cricket, he will bowl all day long, he will never say no to the captain or say I am feeling tired or I need a rest.”

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2022