Fast bowler becomes ninth Pakistan player to sign county contract for 2022
Hasan, 27, was the third-highest Test wicket-taker in 2021 with 41 wickets at 16.07 and is the ninth Pakistan player to sign a county contract for this season after Shan Masood (Derbyshire), Zafar Gohar, Naseem Shah (both Gloucestershire), Mohammad Abbas (Hampshire), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Middlesex), Mohammad Rizwan (Sussex), Azhar Ali (Worcestershire) and Haris Rauf (Yorkshire).
“I am very excited at the prospect of playing county cricket in England for the first time in my career,” Hasan said. “Emirates Old Trafford is a stadium which holds special memories for me, after making my T20 International debut against England there in 2016.
“I am very proud to follow in the footsteps of Wasim Akram, a Pakistan legend, who always talks so highly of his time with Lancashire. I can’t wait to join up with the squad in April and I hope to make a significant contribution in the games that I play.”
Hasan will arrive in Manchester at the start of April following Pakistan’s series against Australia and will be available for Lancashire’s season opener against Kent at Canterbury on April 14. His final appearance will come against Essex on May 19.
Lancashire were pipped to the Championship title by Warwickshire on the final day of the 2021 season and will be expected to compete again this year.
The signing of Hasan – who will be their second overseas player in the Championship alongside captain Dane Vilas – further strengthens a seam attack which features Saqib Mahmood, Tom Bailey, Luke Wood and Danny Lamb. James Anderson, who was recently left out of England’s tour of the Caribbean, is also set to be available in the early stages of the season.
Glen Chapple, Lancashire’s head coach, said: “Hasan is a high-quality player and has a fine record in first-class and Test match cricket. We believe that his red-ball skills will complement our bowling attack nicely and that the experience he has gained at international level can bring a lot into our dressing room.”