Hasan Ali terms Shaheen Afridi 'excellent bowler'; hails his work ethic and passion

Pakistan seamer Hasan Ali has heaped high praise on his teammate and superstar left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi following the latter's exploits for Middlesex in the ongoing County Championship.

Shaheen played a crucial role in Middlesex's massive win over Glamorgan this week. The southpaw claimed four wickets across innings besides scoring a quickfire 29.

He also dismissed star Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne in both innings.

The 22-year old has been one of the leading bowlers across formats in the past two years, and Hasan Ali believes that his work ethic and relentless desire to keep pushing the envelope separates him from the rest.

"Shaheen Shah Afridi is an exceptional bowler. I see a hunger to succeed in his eyes and a passion to perform to his best, and to me, he is the fittest man in Pakistan who can bowl and field with the same enthusiasm all day long," said Hasan, as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

Ali also spoke on the state of Pakistan domestic cricket. The seam-bowling all-rounder joined a chorus of former cricketers and pundits who have been calling for the revival of departmental cricket, which was dissolved by the former patron-in-chief, Imran Khan.

"We had a lot of departmental & regional teams before & having more domestic teams and therefore more cricket, would be beneficial for Pakistan. We have a population of over 220 million so having just 6 First-Class teams does not fit our requirements," he said.

Hasan himself had a stellar start to his county stint for Lancashire this week. The Gujranwala-born pacer claimed six Gloucestershire wickets in the first innings and claimed three more in the second.

The 27-year old has had a tough time in international cricket in the last 12 months. He didn't have a great T20 World Cup campaign, especially against Australia in the all-important semi-final. Moreover, his recent home series performance against Australia was also below par.

However, the right-arm seamer will look to continue with the excellent form that he seems to have regained in the County Championship and perform consistently in the upcoming games.