When Pakistan’s legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram first saw Hasan Nawaz batting during the Kashmir Premier League’s first edition in 2022, he was instantly impressed by the youngster’s six-hitting ability.
“He is a special player,” said Akram. Playing for Mirpur Royals alongside big names like Shoaib Malik and Imad Wasim, Hasan scored 240 runs at a strike rate of 148.76, with 14 sixes—second only to Sharjeel Khan’s 22 sixes.
It was enough to catch the prying eyes of Islamabad United who initially picked him for the 2024 season where he managed just 28 runs in three games.
The year 2024 turned out to be a game-changer for Hasan as he scored runs to impress all and sundry. The T20 Champions Cup held in Islamabad to explore some new talent brought Hasan to the fore.
In nine matches Hasan compiled 312 at a strike rate of 142.46 with 17 sixes – second on runs and sixes to Sharjeel Khan. His runs, an impressive strike rate and the ability to hit sixes caught the eyes of Islamabad United.
The prying eyes of United management saw talent in Hasan. They signed him for the 2023 season. He didn’t sparkle in the limited opportunities he got in the 2023 PSL before an injury stalled the upward momentum of his career.
Hasan did not let this slip affect his career. He worked hard on his playing style and returned fully fit in 2024 and ever since then has been amongst the runs.
A maiden first-class hundred led to a stellar T20 Champions Cup and became his path to selection in the New Zealand-bound Pakistan team.
He failed on debut, perhaps got awed by the occasion as he tried to hit out from the first ball and got a blob in his first match.
Another duck followed and after consecutive ducks in his first two games, analysts brought out a knife. He was called a tape ball player selected prematurely.
But Hasan silenced everyone with the fastest T20I hundred by a Pakistani in his third T20I, proving his talent was not lost.
Hassan scored a belligerent hundred at Eden Park Auckland as Pakistan chased down a 205-run target.
But the cacophony over his talent died down in the next two matches as he had no clue against the swing and seam movement in New Zealand.
His scores in the series were 0, 0, 105 not out, 1 and 0! Despite the failures, his hundred proved Hasan has talent.
Hasan grew up playing tape-ball cricket but only became a serious prospect when he moved to Islamabad in search of better opportunities.
He played for Lucky Star CC before being pulled into Under-19 pathways. Though he didn’t get much playing time, he was picked up for the Mirpur Royals in the 2022 Kashmir Premier League.
That was where he shone for the first time, playing alongside some of the biggest names in Pakistan cricket, like Shoaib Malik (an early hero of him) and Imad Wasim.
Soon after the New Zealand tour, Hasan showed he had matured after an international tour. He was sent to play in the middle order and after a few failures, Hasan showed his real talent.
Hasan finished with 399 runs in 12 matches at a good strike rate of 162.10. He was one of the reasons for Quetta Gladiators finishing runners-up in PSL X.
Standout innings of Hasan were 67not out against Multan Sultans, and 64 not against Islamabad United – both helping his team to complete successful run chases.
Hasan’s best was 100 not out against Islamabad United. He also hit a sparkling 76 in the final albeit in a losing cause.
The most prominent aspect of Hasan’s batting was that he took the chases deep. Needing 15 to win in the final over Hasan was lucky to get two lives and hit the winning runs in the end.
Against Multan Sultans also he waited till the last over and smoked Mohammad Hasnain for a last-ball six to secure a victory.
Hasan told WE News English that Auckland has been the turning point in his career. “It was my first tour so the 100 at Auckland gave me supreme confidence. I wanted to build my career on that innings.”
“In the PSL I was asked to bat in the middle order so I played for my team which was the requirement,” Hasan said.
“You learn to adapt to various positions and you have to value your cricket. The confidence of the management has been repaid. To open the innings is my specialty but batting in the middle has taught me to go deep so that the team wins and as a by-product you get runs,” the rising star said.
Hasan said, “the opener means you have to give a good start and in the middle is to go deep and I know I can hit six in the final over. It’s natural and now I have developed the habit of going to the gym and swimming to make my hits powerful.”
Hasan admits he rose from a middle-class background in the southern Punjab Saraiki city of Layyah. He had to strive to play cricket as the city lacked facilities and had to pay bowlers to bowl at him on the sandy grounds.
“There were no facilities and no players available in the city so I moved to Islamabad where my sister supported me to the hilt,” said Hasan of his engineer sister who did the pick and drop to the ground for her brother.
“I played club cricket with a tape ball but coaches told me to play with a hard ball so I joined a club and graduated to play high-level cricket and when I did well in the Kashmir Premier League, it gave me a real break,” Hasan said.
Hasan is a star in the making. As much as he needs to keep his feet on the ground, it’s the duty of the team management, the selection committee and the Pakistan Cricket Board to keep an eye on Hasan.
He needs to be developed and kept on the right track to produce good results for Pakistan and to grow into a world-class player.
