Former West Indies pacer hails teen sensation Ali Raza after sensational PSL hat-trick

LAHORE: Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop has heaped praise on young Peshawar Zalmi pacer Ali Raza following his outstanding performance against Karachi Kings, where he claimed a sensational hat-trick during their Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 clash at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.

Taking to social media platform 'X', Bishop commended Raza’s rapid progress, expressing confidence in the coaching environment around the youngster.

He highlighted the role of experienced mentors in shaping his development and stressed the importance of continued backing to help him fulfil his potential.

"Ali Raza is in great hands with his current coaches, including Otis Gibson and Azhar Mahmood. Some compliments I pay in private one on one chats brother. But I always keep an eye out for him. You keep playing your part to in highlighting him for the country. He is a good kid," Bishop said.

The 18-year-old returned impressive figures of 4/41 in his four-over spell and produced a remarkable hat-trick in the final over of the innings, dismissing Khushdil Shah, Shahid Aziz and Hasan Ali with successive deliveries.

With this achievement, he became the youngest bowler to take a PSL hat-trick and the first player from Peshawar Zalmi to reach the milestone. Overall, he is only the seventh bowler in PSL history to claim a hat-trick and the fifth fast bowler to do so.

The landmark was first achieved by Mohammad Amir for Karachi Kings against Lahore Qalandars in the inaugural edition. Other fast bowlers on the list include Junaid Khan, Mohammad Sami and Abbas Afridi, while the spinners feature Imran Tahir and Akeal Hosein.

For the unversed, Babar Azam-led Zalmi continue to dominate the ongoing tournament, remaining unbeaten with eight wins in nine matches, with one game washed out. They sit comfortably on 17 points with an impressive net run rate of 2.645.