Hasan Ali, a monumental part of Pakistan Cricket Team’s pace attack is suffering from a back injury that might need a surgery to correct. The fast baller has been consistently dealing with a back issue for the past year, which was the reason why he was sidelined during most of the matches last year.
The back injury is expected to keep him out of cricket for at least 5 to 6 months. This injury was part of the reason why Hasan Ali didn’t make to the central contract that was revealed May 13, 2020 by Pakistan Cricket Board.
Hasan Ali’s Injury
Hasan Ali’s injury is identified as intervertebral disc protrusion, which could need a surgery to correct. During the opening round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in Lahore, Ali suffered a back injury that lead to him receiving 7 weeks rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy.
He was given the green light after that to play in the last leg of the tournament. However, he fractured his rib in November 2019. He was put to rest for further 6 weeks. Ali performed just fine in PSL 2020, but not his absolute best. He was able to rake in 8 wickets in 9 games with an economy rate of 8.59 for Peshawar Zalmi.
The continued pain in his back led to scans that revealed his back injury has flared up once again. With the help of PCB medical department, Ali has been in contact with an Australian physiotherapist and a local neurosurgeon to speed up his recovery.
PCB Stands by Hasan Ali
PCB is intending to plat the fast bowler to Australia, but with the global pandemic, it is hard to do so at the moment. Questions arose about his contribution to PSL and if he should have participated in it. To clear it up, Head Coach Misbah-ul-Haq said:
“He cleared all protocols before playing PSL .. he was declared fit,” Misbah said. “He was fully prepared, bowling 50 overs per week in his rehabilitation and playing practice games as well. Back injuries are always tricky. It can be aggravated at once by even a stumble in the field and in his [Ali’s] case, it didn’t recur (during his fitness tests), which is why he was given the go-ahead. He is being examined and taken care of.”
“We feel for him,” he said. “There is no time limit for this return, but we are determined to bring him back. He is an absolutely great guy, a hard-working athlete and fights for the team. This is why we are with him and the Board is giving him full support in every way possible. He was very well taken care of earlier when he got injured and even now, we are standing behind him. We will make sure he will get proper treatment, and rehabilitation will be carried out to get him fit as soon as possible.”
