Pakistan-born pace sensation Ali Khan produced one of the best figures in One-day cricket to lead the USA to the ODI World Cup playoffs.
The 32-year-old ended with the figures of 7/32 at the United Cricket Club Ground as his side beat Jersey by 25 runs to keep alive their dreams of playing the ODI World Cup in India. Only Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas has taken more wickets in a single ODI.
For Pakistan, only Shahid Afridi (7/12) has better figures in an international fifty-over game.
His 7-wicket haul also helped him become the top-wicket taker (16) in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off, with his team sitting pretty at first place after winning four of their five matches.
The Attock-born Ali Khan moved to the USA as a teenager before taking up cricket in the 2010s. After honing his skills alongside some of the best T20 players including the likes of Adam Zampa, Martin Guptill and Chris Lynn in the Caribbean Premier League, he finally made his debut for his adopted country in 2019.
He has also been picked in the Pakistan Super League by Islamabad United and Karachi Kings as he continues to carve out his name in the sport.
Team USA will heavily rely on his skillset as they look to achieve the impossible by pipping the likes of Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, Nepal and UAE and others to a 2023 ODI World Cup spot.
