Sydney Thunder have further strengthened their pace stocks with the signing of Pakistan quick Mohammad Hasnain.
The addition of Hasnain, the 21-year-old who once bowled a 155kph delivery in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), comes on the back of English quick Saqib Mahmood starring in his BBL debut on Sunday with 4 for 22 in Thunder's 53-run win over Brisbane Heat.
Since debuting as a teenager in early 2019, Hasnain has played 18 T20Is and eight ODIs for Pakistan and was part of their squad for this month's limited-overs series against West Indies.
He struggled in his sole T20I match of the series on December 16 with figures of 0 for 49 from four overs in Pakistan's seven-wicket victory. But the ODI leg of that tour was postponed due to Covid-19 cases among West Indies' squad, freeing up Hasnain to play for Thunder.
Hasnain has the distinction of being the youngest bowler ever to take a hat-trick in a T20I match, when he achieved the feat as a 19-year-old against Sri Lanka in Lahore.
"He bowls fast, easily at 150 km/h," Thunder allrounder Ben Cutting said, having played alongside Hasnain for Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). "He's a lovely young kid, and his team back home is keen for him to learn about the game and to also come out here and bowl fast.
"[Mohammad] is going to love bowling in Australia. We have faster pitches and bigger boundaries - conditions that are far more conducive to bowling fast than they are in Pakistan."
Hasnain will add extra firepower for Thunder, whose pace bowling struggled to contain Melbourne Stars' high-octane batting line-up in two losses this season. Emerging spinner Tanveer Sangha has held the attack together during Thunder's inconsistent start but the inclusion of Mahmood lit a fuse in Thunder's much-needed victory at the Gabba.
Thunder's next match is against crosstown rival Sydney Sixers on Boxing Day. He is the fourth overseas player they have registered this year after England's Alex Hales, Sam Billings and Saqib Mahmood, with a maximum of three permitted in a single playing XI.