Hassan Ali was at his brilliant best as he took a record-breaking 6/23 and a hat-trick to boot as the Bears rectified their rocky start to the Blast with a highly successful weekend of fixtures.
Hassan joined the Bears before their recent weekend of jam-packed fixtures and has made an immediate impact.
He not only claimed the best figures by a Bear in the history of the T20 Blast, but he also took a hat-trick, becoming just the fifth bowler to accomplish this for the club.
His performance helped the Bears secure a dominant victory, their second in three days, as they got their Blast season back on track with back-to-back wins over the weekend.
Hassan has been a fan favourite and a vital member of the dressing since first joining the Bears in the summer of 2023.
Returning in 2024, his summer was cut short by an elbow injury, which required surgery and a considerable recovery period.
It feels like he’s back to make up lost time, and he’s wasted no time in making his presence known, setting himself up for a magnificent Blast season.
Hassan said, “After I got the two wickets, I spoke with Tom Latham and we were making a plan of what to bowl. I look at him (the batter) and saw that he was standing on the legside of the ball so I should go for the yorker.
“At the end of the day, we succeeded (in winning), and I got my first hat-trick in T20.”
Hassan bowled Ben Aitchson through the gate to take his hat-trick, and from that moment he was off.
It was reminiscent of Imran Tahir here for the Birmingham Phoenix back in 2021, who also took a hat-trick for the Bears in the Blast 2010.
When asked about his celebration, Hassan said, “I’ll never be able to match Imran Tahir, in his celebrations, he runs miles. But, it’s something that pumps up the crowds, I feel like we play for the crowds and that we are entertainers.
“We entertain with skills, attitudes and celebrations, and I love celebrating for the crowd and with the team.”
Hassan will be on show this weekend in the blockbuster doubleheader, MidlandsMania, where they will face Notts Outlaws starting at 7pm.
MidlandsMania featuring Joel Corry on sale now!
Midlands sports fans, back your team at the first ever MidlandsMania which will see four men’s teams do battle for local bragging rights at Edgbaston on Saturday 14 June.
And BRIT Award nominated Joel Corry, who has five top 10 UK singles, will be the headline music act. Four teams, two Midlands rivalries, one international DJ performance.