Hasan Nawaz

Layyah is not exactly a hotbed for Pakistani cricketers. Until Hasan Nawaz, the southern Punjab city, had only produced Munir Malik, a right-arm medium pacer who played three Tests for Pakistan in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Nawaz, a very modern, top-order basher, is likelier to become the city's most prominent son.

Nawaz grew up playing tape-ball cricket but only became a serious prospect when he moved to Islamabad in search of better opportunities. He played for Lucky Star CC before being pulled into Under-19 pathways. Though he didn't get much playing time, he was picked up for the Mirpur Royals in the 2022 Kashmir Premier League. That was where he shone for the first time, playing alongside some of the biggest names in Pakistan cricket, in Shoaib Malik (an early hero of his) and Imad Wasim.

Over 200 runs at a strike rate of nearly 150 - and the second-highest number of sixes - caught everyone's attention, including PSL's Islamabad United, forever on the lookout for top-order bashers. He didn't sparkle in the limited opportunities he got in the 2023 PSL, before an injury stalled the upward momentum of his career.

But he returned fully fit in 2024 and has been in the runs. A maiden first-class hundred led to a stellar T20 Champions Cup, the elite new tournament added to the calendar for the 2024-25 season. He was the second-highest scorer, with the second-highest number of sixes, striking at 140-plus. He couldn't have made a more inauspicious start to his international career, consecutive ducks in his first two games. The fastest T20I hundred by a Pakistani in his third is a truer indication of his ceiling.