Big Bash League (BBL) side Sydney Thunder on Monday announced to sign Pakistan’s 21-year-old pace bowling sensation Mohammad Hasnain to the club’s roster for the ongoing 11th season of the Australian T20 tournament.
Hasnain, who has played eight ODIs and 18 T20Is, joins a Thunder squad which already boasts of quality pace bowlers such as Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Saqib Mahmood, Chris Tremain, Nathan McAndrew, Gurinder Sandhu, and Brendan Doggett.
Hasnain had hogged limelight in 2019 when, at 19, he had become the youngest bowler to take a hattrick in a T20I match. Hasnain, who hails from Hyderabad in Pakistan, had achieved the feat against Sri Lanka.
Later, Hasnain featured in both the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and once again impressed everyone after bowling the fastest deliveries recorded in each competition. He launched a 151 km/h rocket for the Quetta Gladiators, and a 155.1 km/h rocket for Trinbago Knight Riders.
Commenting on Hasnain’s signing, Thunder’s Ben Cutting, who played alongside the youngster at Quetta, felt that the youngster would surely trouble the BBL batters – if given the opportunity.
“He bowls fast; easily at 150 km/h,” said Cutting.
“He’s a lovely young kid, and his team back home is keen for him to learn about the game and to also come out here and bowl fast. Muhammad is going to love bowling in Australia. We have faster pitches and bigger boundaries – conditions that are far more conducive to bowling fast than they are in Pakistan. I have no doubt he’s going to enjoy the experience, and I know he’ll be a tremendous addition to Sydney Thunder’s squad,” he added.
On the other hand, CNSW Head of Male Cricket, Michael Klinger, described Hasnain as a player who is certain to excite the Thunder Nation.
“He’s a fast bowler who bowls with extreme pace and has fantastic T20 skills and variations. At such a young age he’s already taken a T20I hattrick for Pakistan, and he’s performed well for Quetta in the Pakistan Super League,” he expressed.
With two wins and as many defeats from four games, the Thunders are placed third in the eight team standings.
Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers occupy the second and third place repectively with 11 and 10 points each.
The Thunders will now face the Sixers in their next game at the Sydney Showground Stadium on December 26.