Amir Hassan ready to make a name for himself in the U19 mega-event

Amir Hassan ready to make a name for himself in the U19 mega-event

Lahore, 9 January 2024:

By Nawaz Gohar

Left-arm fast bowler, Amir Hassan is looking forward to making the most of the South African conditions in the upcoming ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2024. 18-year-old Amir has represented Pakistan U16 and Pakistan U19 teams after starting his journey as U13 player from Rawalpindi.

He was born in Landi Kotal, the hometown of Shaheen Shah Afridi, whom he considers his idol, and started his cricket career after shifting to Rawalpindi several years ago. He played two editions of the PCB U13 Inter-Regional T20 tournament in 2017 and 2018.

Amir represented Rawalpindi Region U16s in the 2018-19 season of the U16 One Day Tournament and proved his mettle by becoming the fourth leading wicket-taker as he picked up 13 scalps in seven games at an average of seven and best bowling figures of 5-23. He was rewarded with a call-up to the Pakistan U16 team for the Bangladesh tour in 2019 where he played one three-day game.

He represented Rawalpindi in the National U19 Cup and National U19 Championship in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 editions paving the way for his selection in Pakistan U19 for the away series against Bangladesh U19 in 2023. Amir hit the ground running in his first one-day game for Pakistan U19 at Chattogram where he returned with figures of 5-24 in his quota of 10 overs.

Amir was part of the Pakistan Shaheens side that toured Australia in July-August 2023. He later featured in the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023 where he ended up as the third leading wicket-taker for Pakistan U19 besides Mohammad Zeeshan and Ubaid Shah, with six wickets in four matches.

In a chat with PCB Digital, Amir said: “I’ve always received support from my family, and in my childhood, they encouraged me to pursue the game properly which is why I shifted to Rawalpindi. I’ve followed Pakistan’s best left-arm fast bowlers and they have inspired me to pick up cricket as a professional as well. I like to bowl in-swing like some of the famous bowlers of this trade.”

Amir is confident that he’ll help Pakistan U19 at the World Cup to get regular breakthroughs as the conditions in South Africa favour pacers. “We have been preparing for the World Cup in the camp and the coaches have helped us a lot to get ready for the tournament. Our focus is to put up quality performances in the group matches first and then look forward to lifting the trophy.”