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PCB overhyping Mohammad Haris and Hassan Nawaz: Is it justified?

Is PCB overhyping Mohammad Haris and Hassan Nawaz, or is it justified?


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BouncerGuy

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Tracing Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz's T20 rise

Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris registered the fastest and second fastest T20I centuries for Pakistan in a space of 72 days showcasing their belligerent batting at the international stage.

Hasan’s scintillating 44-ball century came just in his third T20I outing at Auckland’s Eden Park on 21 March, while wicketkeeper-batter Haris brought up his ton off 45 balls against Bangladesh in the final T20I of the three-match series on 1 June in Lahore.

In the game against New Zealand, both opened the batting and amassed 74 runs off 5.5 overs, the highest-ever Powerplay for Pakistan in T20Is bettering a nine-year record of 73 runs against England in Manchester.

The duo also contributed a combined 300 runs from 150 balls while batting in the top four during the series sweep over Bangladesh.

Hasan has so far faced 118 balls in Pakistan colours making 227 runs with 16 fours and as many maximums. Haris, meanwhile, has racked up 370 runs across 17 T20I outings at a strike rate of 152 hitting 33 fours and 21 sixes. What stands out in these numbers is their prodigious ball-striking ability and record-breaking tons early in their careers.

With the domestic 2024-25 and the home international season coming to an end, it is pertinent to trace the build-up towards Hasan and Haris’ spectacular showings with the bat for Pakistan in T20Is.

Mohammad Haris

24-year-old Haris got off the mark in his T20I career with a straight six off England’s Richard Gleeson at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore in September 2022. Nearly three years later, he fittingly brought up his first international century at the scene of his T20I debut.

Haris, who has featured in six ODIs for Pakistan, boasts 16 dismissals behind the stumps in 11 of his 23 outings in white-ball cricket. He enacted five dismissals including one stumping in the recent series against Bangladesh and hammered 179 runs at a staggering strike rate of 201, earning him the player of the series award.

In just his second T20I, Haris was called up to fill in for Fakhar Zaman in a crucial ICC T20 World Cup 2022 match against South Africa at Sydney Cricket Ground. He announced his arrival by belting Kagiso Rabada for consecutive sixes followed by a four for his first runs in the tournament.

The Peshawar-born batter showcased a range of shots in his 11-ball 28 hitting two fours and three sixes to set the tone for a huge total in a must-win match for Pakistan. His 31 and 30 in the following matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand, respectively, also showed glimpses of his tremendous potential.

Haris has featured in 117 T20s scoring 2,860 runs at a strike rate of 147.65 with the help of one century and 15 half-centuries. He made his T20I comeback, after last featuring for Pakistan in the format in April 2023, following a title-winning campaign with Allied Bank Stallions in the Champions T20 Cup and a strong performance in HBL PSL X.

Haris-led Stallions went onto lift the trophy in the T20 tournament, where he contributed 269 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 151 including three half-centuries.

In HBL PSL X, Haris collected 247 runs with a strike rate of 148 in 10 matches for Peshawar Zalmi including the highest score of 87. His tally of 53 fours and 21 sixes across the two T20 tournaments proved his boundary-hitting capability, striking a boundary every 4.5 balls.

On Sunday night, Haris became the first non-opener and fifth Pakistan batter to register a T20I century marking a turning point in his Pakistan career.

Haris has been a regular feature in the Pakistan Shaheens setup, leading them in the white-ball leg of the Darwin tour in July 2024, Bangladesh ‘A’ tour of Pakistan in August 2024, Sri Lanka ‘A’ tour of Pakistan in November 2024 and the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in July 2023 (50-over) & October 2024 (T20).

Hasan Nawaz

Hasan Nawaz banked on the 2024-25 domestic cricket season to stage an HBL PSL comeback and earn the coveted Pakistan cap.

Hasan’s first appearance in the career-defining 2024-25 domestic season began with two appearances for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in semi-final and final of President’s Cup Grade-I where he scored 46 off 43 (4x4s, 3x6s) and 40 off 50 (2x4s, 2x6s), respectively.

In the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2024-25 in October and November he accumulated 273 runs for Islamabad Region in five outings. It also included a career-best 169 where he spent 406 minutes on the crease against Larkana Region striking 21 fours and one six as only one other batter crossed 50-run mark from his side.

The Bahria Town Champions T20 Cup in December saw Hasan delivering consistently for Nurpur Lions and stamp his authority, finishing as the second-leading run-scorer with 312 runs in nine outings with the help of two half-centuries.

He struck 30 fours and 17 sixes, displaying his power-hitting skills, and subsequently became Quetta Gladiators’ Emerging category pick in the HBL PSL X draft on 13 January.

Hasan was also part of the 16-day Pakistan Strike Force camp at the National Cricket Academy in January, under the tutelage of former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, where a total of 25 emerging and top-performing domestic batters were invited to hone their hard-hitting skills.

Hasan took the HBL PSL X by storm with his middle-order heroics, managing 399 runs in 12 matches with one century and three half-centuries striking at 162 – the second-highest among eight batters to score over 300 runs in the season.

The 22-year-old was not only declared player of the tournament for his high-pressure knocks but was also named Best Batter, plotting a remarkable comeback after 28 runs in three appearances for Islamabad United in 2023.

While the 2024-25 season was highly fruitful for Hasan, it is important to note that he also made the most of opportunities in the previous season playing non-first-class Hanif Mohammad Trophy and 50-over Hanif Mohammad Cup (non-List A) for Islamabad Region.

In the four-day tournament in September and October 2023, he topped the run-charts with 530 runs in seven matches at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 72.11 – the best among the top 20 batters. In the 50-over iteration of the tournament in November 2023 he finished with 229 runs six matches at a strike rate of 90.

 
Justified.

They want to build new superstars for the brand of cricket they want to play. They will draw sponsors and ratings by producing an entertaining brand of cricket.

They have identified the right type of players that will bring the viewers and fans back into Pakistan cricket.

Harris, Nawaz, Saim, Nafay, Farhan. They are all big draws going forward InshaAllah
 
There is a lot to like about Hassan Nawaz. If he keeps improving, I’m pretty sure in no time he would be a top T20I player. Currently, he is head and shoulders above any other Pakistani player when it comes to power hitting.

Mohammad Harris. I’m not convinced on him yet. We have to see how he performs against better teams and on a normal pitch. He was beyond abysmal during New Zealand tour. He was even struggling to out bat on the ball. However, I like his approach. He likes to get on with the game. Doesn’t waste balls. Plus , he’s someone who strives on confidence. This series should give him a lot of confidence which should help him in future series.
 
That's how you create stars in today's digital world.

We saw how Babar was made a "brand". Let these youngsters have a digital platform as well. Let them have Ads and followers as well. If they fail. They will eventually fall off like many have in the past. It's a natural cycle. If they survive. They will become superstars.
 
A good try by PCB, Pakistan need players who can pull the crowds.
 
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We know have the young players with brutal power game and hopefully they will improve all together in next couple of years. Need to add Shamyl and Shahzeb in to the mix as well.
 
Overhype generally ends bad in the end but I hope things are gone in the right direction this time... We cannot be judging players based on 2-3 games that too against a weaker opponent but a win is a win.
 
Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris were instrumental in Pakistan’s emphatic 3-0 T20I series sweep over Bangladesh, delivering standout performances that lit up the rankings. Haris led the charge with a breathtaking unbeaten 107 off 46 balls in the final match, finishing as the series' top scorer with 167 runs at a blistering strike rate of 201.12. His explosive form earned him the Player of the Series award and rocketed him 210 places up the ICC Men’s T20I Batter Rankings to No.30. Not far behind, Hasan Nawaz provided consistent firepower in the middle order, amassing 121 runs at a strike rate of 198.36 to finish second on the run charts. His efforts saw him climb 57 spots to a career-best joint 45th in the rankings, marking a breakthrough moment for both rising stars in international cricket.
 
Either you are blind, or just plain stupid; if you follow this sport on cricinfo then you will come up with childish views, anyone with a basic knowledge of cricket who takes a look at the talent pool would tell you who does and doesn’t pass the eye test in the shorter forms.
 
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let it be known that now that these boys are given the freedom to unleash, they are here to stay, we got Saim and Farhan at the top, if one of them is feeling off we got Fakhar to step in, we can open with Haris if we want to as well, no problem there, and heck Hassan Nawaz can open the innings as well. No position is fixed and no fatwa has been issued for one particular player to bat in position x
 
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Completely justified. Scoring a century in T20 by playing aggressively from the start is no small feat—and it’s definitely not just luck. Sure, a quickfire 30 or 40 can be down to luck, but reaching a hundred takes real talent. If these two guys can find consistency, the team could be extremely dangerous.

Just watch Haris bat—the way he finds gaps and plays 360° shows he's not limited in his shot selection. He can be unstoppable. Consistency is the key. If they keep learning from their mistakes and improving, the sky's the limit.
 
They hyped saim before them, and rightly so. All three are future of pct and deserve it. Public already loves them just like they did saim.
 
Underhyped in my opinion. I’ve seen far worse knocks being hyped to the moon. It could be the start of something really promising with these bunch of players.
 
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