Dean Jones bemused with Asif Ali's omission from Pakistan squad for England tour

Pakistan announced their 29-man squad for the upcoming tour of England. The Men in Green are scheduled to play three Tests and as many T20Is. Surprisingly, PCB didn’t pick hard-hitting batsman Asif Ali that raised several eyebrows. And, Dean Jones, the former Aussie cricketer also looked surprised over Ali’s omission from the squad.

Asif Ali made his international debut back in 2018 and he has given many convincing performances for the national side. He last played for Pakistan in the three-match T20I series against Australia in 2019. Afterwards, he was not picked for the home T20I series against Bangladesh earlier this year.

Dean Jones opines on Asif Ali’s omission

Dean Jones took to his official Twitter handle stating that he is well aware of Asif Ali’s cricketing abilities. He also added that he knows how to utilise the 28-year-old as a batsman. As per him, the aforementioned Pakistan international can bat in different batting positions and cited that Asif is not only a hard-hitting batter, who can bat in the final overs of the game and can be used at the top of the order as well.

His post read, “I have known Asif for a long time.. I know what makes him tick. He can also be used as an opener… trust me.. he can do various roles.. not just as a banger at the death!”

I have known Asif for a long time.. I know what makes him tick. He can also be used as an opener… trust me.. he can do various roles.. not just as a banger at the death! https://t.co/RlL6q3X8EK

— Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) June 12, 2020

In 2018 Pakistan Super League (PSL), Asif Ali performed exceptionally well for Islamabad United under the guidance of Dean Jones. He scored 213 runs in 12 games at a brilliant strike rate of around 170. Ali played a crucial role in United’s triumph explicitly in that season.

Pakistan is expected to travel to the UK four weeks before the commencement of their series against England. They will first have to go through quarantine and follow all the guidelines issued by their government before taking the field for playing three Tests and three T20Is.

Now, the things are settling down a bit and the conditions formed due to COVID-19 outbreak are improving with each passing day. Recently West Indies reached England to play historic Test series in the post Coronavirus era. And, it is going to be the first international cricket series that will be played under the new playing conditions issued by the ICC.