Youngest Pakistan international Hasan Raza to represent UAE

Hasan Raza who was exposed to international cricket for Pakistan at a very early age is all set to return to international cricket and appear for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) very soon. Raza is one of the many Pakistanis who got international exposure at an early age but even going by that standards his Test debut at a tender age of 14 years and 227 days was something unreal and exceptional.

Later the PCB withdrew the record claim after there were doubts regarding his birthdate and medical tests. He was around the age of 15 during his debut. Despite performing reasonably well in the national colours, he was soon discarded from the side and went into oblivion before making a short comeback in 2005. Despite his premature exit from the squad he continued to impress at the domestic and A level cricket.

“I want to play as soon as possible for the UAE team,” Raza, who represented Pakistan in 7 Tests was quoted by The International.ae. Raza who last appeared for Pakistan way back in 2005 against England was disappointed for not making it to the team since then but remained optimistic about his chances in his 2nd stint as an international cricketer.

“I played Tests for the last time in 2005, against England in Lahore and Multan. They didn’t want to select me to come back for the Pakistan team, and I was disappointed in that. UAE have a lot of cricket, good grounds, good conditions and I want to play. I have kept in touch with the management, and I am eligible from next year,” he added.

There was a point in Raza’s career where he was a prolific run-scorer in the domestic circuit but despite his prowess the selectors continued to overlook him because of his inability to convert domestic success to international cricket. He finally made a decision of joining the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) and was the leading run scorer during the inaugural season of the tournament in 2007.