Hasan Ali makes stunning confession about Usman Khawaja

Pakistan’s fast bowler Hasan Ali made a stunning confession about Australia’s left-handed opener Usman Khawaja while recalling the Aussies’ Test tour to the country in December 2022.

Khawaja, who was born in Islamabad and is familiar with Urdu, leaked the Pakistan team's strategies and plans to the Aussies during their Test tour in 2022. 

Hasan revealed that the Green Shirts have now stopped discussing their plans in front of the 36-year-old as a precaution. 

"Usman bhai is familiar with Urdu," Hasan stated, "but after he leaked our strategies to the Australia cricket team in Karachi, we've become more cautious. We'll ensure not to discuss plans in Urdu in front of him to keep our strategies confidential. We'll move a bit farther away from him to strategise for the game,” Hasan said in an interview with Cricket Australia (CA).

The 2017 Champions Trophy winner went on to discuss the tough conditions of Australia where South Asian teams find it difficult to take wickets.

"It's not just Pakistan; all South Asian teams find it challenging to take 20 wickets on Australian tours. The pitches in Australia differ from those in other cricketing nations, and the local players' familiarity with their conditions often poses problems for visiting squads,” he added.

Hasan then went on to show his admiration for Australian skipper Pat Cummins, who recently guided the team to the World Test Championship and World Cup, saying that he is the best bowler in Australia’s current squad.

"Pat Cummins stands out as the best bowler. His excellence in all three formats is commendable. Both Shaheen Afridi from Pakistan and Pat Cummins from Australia are skillful bowlers who understand the art of bowling with new and semi-new balls.

“Australian cricket fans love watching cricket and have been supportive of Pakistan. The recent ICC Men's T20 World Cup held in Australia saw tremendous support for Pakistan, except for the India game.

"I believe fans will turn out to watch cricketing greats like Steve Smith, David Warner, Shaheen Afridi, and Babar Azam and support the spirit of good cricket,” he concluded.

Pakistan squad for Australia Tests

Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Australia tour schedule

Four-day match: PM’s XI vs Pakistan – December 6-9: Manuka Oval, Canberra

1st Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 14-18: Perth Stadium

2nd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 26-30: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

3rd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – January 3-7: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)

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