Pakistan quick Hassan Ali has accused Pakistan of mismanaging his injury and showing favouritism in the treatment of young star Saim Ayub.
Hassan, the 30-year-old quick currently out of favour from the Pakistan team, appeared on the Ultra Edge podcast, discussing his injury in detail. Expressing frustration at the lack of support from the PCB, Hassan alleged that the management changed his physio every week or two, completely derailing his rehabilitation in 2019/20.
He then took the example of Saim Ayub, Pakistan's new-age batting star, currently undergoing rehabilitation in the UK. Saim's injury and recovery has garnered considerable media spotlight, especially ahead of the Champions Trophy, for which he has now been sidelined.
Immediately after Saim sustained the ankle injury in South Africa, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said that Saim would be treated in the "best hospital in the world".
"Saim Ayub will be checked up by the sports ortho specialist doctors in England as an immediate appointment has been made by the PCB," he said in January. "All resources will be used for his treatment".
Hassan, Pakistan's star in the 2017 Champions Trophy, hit out at the PCB for showing favouritism towards an up-and-coming player, leaving many in the lurch when it came to injury management.
"Saim Ayub is injured. He's Pakistan's (star) player. Wasn't I a player in 2020?," Hassan said on the podcast. "If anyone is injured, isn't he part of the team? Is he playing for India?"
"You are giving VVIP treatment to Saim Ayub. Tomorrow, would you do the same if someone else is injured? Hope Saim does better and plays for very long. But if he gets injured again, would Pakistan treat him as well?
"First, they'll take away your contract and give it to someone else. I have seen too many players in my eight-year career who just travel and are pushed out. It won't solve until you get stability. A team is built in two-four years".
When did Hassan suffer an injury?
Hassan suffered the back injury in 2019 which kept him out of international cricket for two years. He narrated how, in a 16-month period, Hassan had to deal with a constant change in treatment personnel and approach.
"My physio would change every week, two weeks," Hassan said. "This is across 16 months. When Cliff (Deacon) from the National Academy would come, he'd take care of me, but when he'd go for national duty, there would be no improvement."
"I had no idea I had a slipped disc. After a month, they told me I could bat. A spasm takes max seven days. Batting coach took me to the indoor machine. I started easy. It was a 50-ball round – as soon as I bent for the first ball, I couldn't get up. I was like: "What's this, I haven't even bowled?"
He then revealed how he had to undergo another month of rehab, but suffered pain once again, leading to another month of rehab. Hassan eventually played the PSL in 2020/21, but took longer to fully recover.
He hasn't been picked by Pakistan since last May.
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