Slater wants Haider Ali in Pak squad for T20 WC

ISLAMABAD (APP): Former Australia batsman Michael Slater believes Pakistani batsman Haider Ali “a player of the future” saying the Attock-born cricketer should be included in the squad for the Twenty20 World Cup later this year.

Slater’s comments come after Haider impressed during the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The 19-year-old represented the Peshawar Zalmi and scored 239 runs in nine matches at an average of 29.87 and a strike-rate of 158.27.

In addition to being impressed with Haider’s performance during the PSL, Slater also feels that Pakistan should include him in their squad for the T20 World Cup later this year.

The tournament was scheduled to be held in Australia from October to November. “I like emerging players because these tournaments are only as strong as the local players and the same is for PSL,” Slater said in an Instagram video as quoted by CricketPakistan.com.

“Haider Ali is a player of the future and he cut the mustard this year in PSL, despite big players around him. “Some players get daunted by this but that was not the case with Ali as he loved the big stage. I also see him as Pakistan’s World Cup player later this year,” he said.

Slater was also asked to compare Pakistan’s ace batsman and Twenty20 captain Babar Azam, India skipper Virat Kohli and England captain Joe Root.

Slater picked Kohli as the best out of the trio as he feels the 31-year-old was “technically the best player in the world”. “If you are asking about the best, then it has to be Kohli.

He is the most steely-eyed competitor I have ever seen. His captaincy stance is different to all other Indian captains and he is technically the best player in the world,” he said.