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Hero Hasan claims Player of Tournament

Pakistan pacer leads all wicket-takers with another demolition job in final to join elite company with tournament's top individual prize

Hasan Ali crowned a remarkable form turnaround from their first-up hiding by India to collect the Champions Trophy Player of the Tournament award.

Hasan's revival echoed that of the Pakistan team, which reversed a 124-run defeat by India in their first match, into a mammoth 180-run victory in Sunday's final at The Oval.

Hasan had a less than impressive start to the tournament, going for 1-70 from his 10 overs at Edgbaston as India's batsmen flayed Pakistan's bowlers.

Yet in the next four games he picked up three wickets in each, including 3-19 in the final, to finish with 13, and also receive the Golden Ball award for the tournament's leading wicket-taker.

Quick Single: From goat to GOAT for Hasan

The 23-year-old has played just 21 ODIs for Pakistan – and a solitary Test earlier this year in the West Indies – and is a star on the rise.

Australian audiences may be forgiven for letting Hasan fly under their radar – his last sighting on these shores was the 100 runs he conceded in nine overs as David Warner and Travis Head piled up centuries in the Adelaide Oval's Australia Day ODI.

Yet that mark – the second worst for Paksitan in one-day crcket – had come just a match after he took 5-52 in Sydney, including Warner and Steve Smith in three balls amid another Australian run-fest.

Known for his use of off-cutters and deceptive in-swingers, he consistently hits speeds above 135kph and has proved a tricky customer, and nowhere more so than in this tournament.

With Pakistan's campaign on the rocks after that first-up defeat, Hasan's three wickets ripped out South Africa's middle order in that match, including one of the best balls a right-arm swing bowler could hope for to remove Wayne Parnell.

Hasan's contender for ball of Champions Trophy

He followed that with another contender for the wicket of the tournament next match, with a special ball that removed Sri Lanka dangerman Kusal Mendis en route to 3-43 from his 10.

In the semi-final against England, Hasan removed the home side's captain Eoin Morgan, and a slower ball beat allrounder Ben Stokes.

In the final, he continued to be used as a change bowler in the middle overs, and immediately cramped India talisman MS Dhoni with a short-pitched delivery for his first wicket.

It seemed only fitting that he would take the final wicket, another shortish delivery to the tailender Jasprit Bumrah that was well caught by Pakistan's captain and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed.

Of his 13 wickets, just two were genuine tail-enders. He consistently broke partnerships at key moments, and added names like Yuvraj Singh, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, Asela Gunaratne and Jonny Bairstow to his list of scalps in addition to the ones already detailed. 

"As a cricketer from Pakistan you grow up dreaming of a victory against India and to be a performer in that match," Hasan told cricket.com.au ahead of the final.

Champions Trophy Player of the Tournament winners:

2017 Hassan Ali (Pakistan)

2013 Shikhar Dhawan (India)

2009 Ricky Ponting (Australia)

2006 Chris Gayle (West Indies)

2004 Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies)

1998 Jacques Kallis (South Africa)


Champions Trophy 2017 Guide

Squads: Every Champions Trophy nation


Schedule


1 June – England beat Bangladesh by eight wickets

2 June – New Zealand v Australia, No Result

3 June – Sri Lanka lost to South Africa by 96 runs

4 June – India beat Pakistan by 124 runs

5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, No Result

6 June – England beat New Zealand by 87 runs

7 June – Pakistan beat South Africa by 19 runs (DLS method)

8 June – Sri Lanka beat India by seven wickets

9 June – Bangladesh beat New Zealand by five wickets

10 June – England beat Australia by 40 runs (DLS method)

11 June – India beat South Africa by eight wickets

12 June – Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by three wickets

14 June – First semi-final: England lost to Pakistan by eight wkts

15 June – Second semi-final: Bangladesh lost to India by nine wickets, Edgbaston (D)

18 June – Final: Pakistan bear India by 180 runs