Bilal_Asif

Bilal Asif

Bilal Asif

Pakistani cricketer

Mohammad Bilal Asif (born 24 September 1985) is a Pakistani cricketer who represents the national team as well a singer-songwriter.[2]

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In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).[3][4]

Personal life

The son of an electrician father based in Kuwait, and the nephew of domestic left-arm seamer Zahid Saeed, Bilal Asif roots are from the Allo Mahar Sharif village, on the outskirts of Daska and close to Sialkot, while in terms of education, he has a degree in arts and is himself fond of singing.[5]

Cricket career

Domestic career

Asif holds the record for scoring the most runs on debut in a Twenty20 match, with 114.[6][7]

In April 2018, he was named in Sindh's squad for the 2018 Pakistan Cup.[8][9] He was the joint-leading wicket-taker for Sindh during the tournament, with six dismissals in four matches.[10] In March 2019, he was named in Federal Areas' squad for the 2019 Pakistan Cup.[11][12]

In September 2019, he was named in Central Punjab's squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament.[13][14] In January 2021, he was named in Central Punjab's squad for the 2020–21 Pakistan Cup.[15][16]

International career

He was named in Pakistan's One Day International (ODI) squad for their tour of Sri Lanka in July 2015, although he did not play.[17] He made his ODI debut for Pakistan against Zimbabwe on 3 October 2015.[18]

In his second ODI against Zimbabwe on 5 October 2015, Bilal took his first international five-wicket haul. Zimbabwe were all out for 161 runs and Bilal had figures of 5 for 25. He also hit 38 off 39 deliveries later on, while opening the batting.[19][20] However, after the match he was reported for a suspect bowling action.[21] He was recalled to Pakistan's Test squad on 19 October for the tour against England, after undergoing an evaluation on his bowling action.[22] His action was cleared by the ICC on 30 October 2015.[23]

In September 2017, he was named in Pakistan's Test squad for their series against Sri Lanka, but he did not play.[24] In September 2018, he was named in Pakistan's Test squad for their series against Australia.[25] He made his Test debut for Pakistan against Australia on 7 October 2018.[26] He became the 11th bowler for Pakistan to take a five-wicket haul on debut in Tests.[27]

In June 2020, he was named as one of four reserve players for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic.[28]

Music career

In 2020 he launched his career as a singer-songwriter with the release of the Punjabi track Akhiyan.[29]

In 2021 he wrote and sung Yeh Hai PSL, an unofficial anthem for the Pakistan Super League.[30]

References

  1. [1]
    "Cricketer Bilal Asif gets serious about singing, to release debut track". Geo Super. 19 January 2020. The 6'3 cricketer [...]
  2. [2]
    "Bilal Asif". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  3. [3]
    "PCB Central Contracts 2018–19". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  4. [4]
    "New central contracts guarantee earnings boost for Pakistan players". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  5. [5]
    Umar Farooq (5 October 2018), "Who is Bilal Asif?", ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  6. [6]
    "Records | Twenty20 matches | Batting records | Most runs in debut match | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  7. [7]
    "Group A: Abbottabad Falcons v Sialkot Stallions at Faisalabad, May 15, 2015 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  8. [8]
    "Pakistan Cup one-day tournament to begin in Faisalabad next week". Geo TV. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  9. [9]
    "Pakistan Cup Cricket from 25th". The News International. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  10. [10]
    "Pakistan Cup 2018, Sindh: Batting and bowling averages". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  11. [11]
    "Federal Areas aim to complete hat-trick of Pakistan Cup titles". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  12. [12]
    "Pakistan Cup one-day cricket from April 2". The International News. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  13. [13]
    "PCB announces squads for 2019–20 domestic season". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  14. [14]
    "Sarfaraz Ahmed and Babar Azam to take charge of Pakistan domestic sides". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  15. [15]
    "Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament promises action-packed cricket". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  16. [16]
    "Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament: Fixtures Schedule, Teams, Player Squads – All you need to Know". Cricket World. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  17. [17]
    "Mohammad Irfan returns to ODI squad". ESPNcricinfo. ESPN Sports Media. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  18. [18]
    "Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe, 2nd ODI: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Harare, Oct 3, 2015". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  19. [19]
    "Pakistan vs Zimbabwe third ODI". ESPNcricinfo. ESPN Cricinfo. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  20. [20]
    "Bilal Asif five-for rolls Zimbabwe for 161". ESPNcricinfo. ESPN Cricinfo. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  21. [21]
    "Bilal Asif reported for suspect action". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  22. [22]
    "Bilal to join Pakistan squad, Azhar to return home". ESPNcricinfo. ESPN Sports Media. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  23. [23]
    "Bilal Asif cleared by ICC after testing". ESPNcricinfo. ESPN Sports Media. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  24. [24]
    "Uncapped Hamza, Sohail picked for SL Tests". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  25. [25]
    "Mohammad Amir dropped for two-Test series against Australia". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  26. [26]
    "1st Test, Australia tour of United Arab Emirates at Dubai, Oct 7–11 2018". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  27. [27]
    "Pakistan vs Australia, 1st Test: Bilal Asif's Six-Wicket Haul Puts Pakistan In Command On Day Three". NDTV. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  28. [28]
    "Haider Ali the new face as Pakistan name 29-man squad for England Tests and T20Is". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  29. [29]
    Fatima, Komal (21 January 2020). "Presenting Bilal Asif, a cricketer, songwriter and a singer". Bol News. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  30. [30]
    Khan, Aizbah (15 February 2021). "Cricketer Bilal Asif Releases New Anthem For PSL Fans". Bol News. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
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