Lancashire sign Hassan Ali to bolster Championship pace attack

The Pakistan international, who has taken 244 first-class wickets at 23.19, will be available for the club's first six fixtures in the LV= Insurance County Championship

Hassan Ali has signed for Lancashire for the start of the 2022 LV= Insurance County Championship season.

The Pakistan international will be available for the club’s first six matches, with his final appearance set to come against Essex at Emirates Old Trafford on May 19.

Lancashire had no shortage of pace bowlers in their squad last season, with both Saqib Mahmood (28 wickets at 23.89) and Danny Lamb (23 wickets at 33.91) impressing with the ball. Luke Wood and youngsters George Balderson and Jake Blatherwick also chipped in with handy wickets.

However, no one in the pace department could match Tom Bailey’s haul of 50 wickets at 16.86, with spinner Matt Parkinson (36) the only other player to take more than 30 wickets.

^{Hassan Ali celebrates a wicket at Headingley in 2018. He could face Yorkshire at the ground on May 12 [ oli Scarff/Getty Images]}

The arrival of a player like Hassan, a proven wicket-taker with a host of variations up his sleeve, is therefore a huge boost.

The 27-year-old has picked up 72 wickets at 21.59 in 17 Test appearances, a total he could add to against Australia if he recovers from injury, and 244 wickets at 23.19 across his first-class career.

The timing of Hassan’s arrival also means Lancashire could potentially begin the season with both the Pakistan international and Jimmy Anderson, who took 11 wickets at 7.54 in four appearances last season, in their XI.

Having been left out of England's squad to face West Indies and with their first home match not scheduled to begin until June 2, Anderson is likely to be available for the first chunk of Championship action.

Hassan is the club's second overseas signing for 2022, with Tim David contracted to represent Lancashire in the T20 Blast.

Commenting on joining Lancashire, Hassan said: "I am very excited at the prospect of playing county cricket in England for the first time in my career.

^{Lancashire could potentially field Hassan alongside James Anderson [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

"Emirates Old Trafford is a stadium which holds special memories for me, after making my T20 International debut against England there in 2016.

"I am very proud to follow in the footsteps of Wasim Akram, a Pakistan legend, who always talks so highly of his time with Lancashire. I can’t wait to join up with the squad in April and I hope to make a significant contribution in the games that I play."

Head coach, Glen Chapple, added: "We are delighted to have signed Hassan for the first six matches of this summer’s County Championship. We’ve been carefully assessing our options and looking to add the right overseas player to help us achieve our goals.

"Hassan is a high-quality player and has a fine record in first-class and Test match cricket. We believe that his red-ball skills will complement our bowling attack nicely and that the experience he has gained at international level can bring a lot into our dressing room."