Despite being born in the small village of Azmat Shah in Pakistan’s Punjab to a humble family, Haider Ali had big dreams. He wanted to play for Pakistan at the highest level. He wanted it so badly that he moved to Lahore and worked odd jobs, including as a night-time waiter, to try to make ends meet. Haider had been adopted by his uncle as a baby after his father and mother separated. A left-arm fingerspinner, Haider broke into Pakistan’s first-class scene and made his debut in 2018, but the Pakistan dream ended right there.
“I performed well in the domestic circuit in Pakistan but don’t want to mention what happened. That’s life, it happens, and I’m a positive person,” Haider tells ESPNcricinfo.
Haider continued to be in Lahore, and even sold fruits, with the Covid-19 pandemic aggravating his financial troubles. Post-pandemic, he relocated to the UAE in 2022 for a better financial future for himself and his family. Despite turmoil swirling around him, Haider’s passion for cricket remained undimmed. He began chasing a new dream: the UAE cap.
After fulfilling the ICC’s three-year residency rules, Haider qualified for the UAE in 2025 and made an immediate impression. In his debut series against Bangladesh in Sharjah, he took 4-1-7-3 to script UAE’s first bilateral series win against a Test-playing nation. In the same year, he won the ILT20 title with Dubai Capitals. Haider, now 31, is raring to play his first World Cup and showcase his flat, zippy left-arm orthodox spin on the world stage.
“This is the biggest stage in cricket and it’s a dream of every cricketer to play a World Cup,” Haider says. “I’ve seen many players who represent their country for ten years, but they have never played in a World Cup. If we want to become stars and do something special for our country, we have to go out and perform in the park. It’s also in India, where people just love the game so much.”
With the right-hand pair of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert set to open the batting for New Zealand, there’s a good chance that Haider will take the new ball in the powerplay, a challenging role he is used to performing in the ILT20. His economy rate of 5.93 during the first six overs is the best among all bowlers in the ILT20 (for a minimum of 20 innings). He is eager to show his powerplay chops in the World Cup.
“I’ve bowled in the powerplay in ILT20 and also Abu Dhabi T10 and our UAE domestic cricket,” Haider says. “I love bowling in the powerplay and don’t take pressure whether I’m playing against Australia, India or New Zealand. I just focus on the ball and think positively and understand what I need to do for the team.”
Mingling with T20 stars like David Warner and Rovman Powell at Capitals has given Haider the belief that he would be able to cut it at top level.
“The ILT20 changed my life. Huge thanks to our Emirates Cricket Board and it helps a lot, especially local guys,” he says. “I think I’m the only local who played all games in the last three years. I performed well in the ILT20 and there were so many stars in our team. When I was in the squad for the first year, I was a bit nervous – like there are superstars around you.
“But when I played my first game against Sharjah [Warriorz], I bowled really well and Davey [Warner] came up to me and said like: ‘you’re the best and I have never seen a left-arm spinner like you’. [Sam] Billings, who was my captain when we won [the title], also gives me a lot of confidence and he’s one of my friends now. You get confidence playing in these leagues and sharing the dressing room with these players.”
Haider harnessed all of that experience to topple Bangladesh in only his third international game. Despite the onset of dew, Haider attacked the stumps and displayed immaculate control, cramping right-hand batters with his inward angle and drift.
“That spell against Bangladesh was very important for me and also for my career because that was a series-decider,” Haider says. “I was talking to my head coach Lal [Lalchand Rajput] sir and told him I want to do something special for this country because this country has given me a lot of things and respect.
“When you come from a different country and different world, they support you for three years. I play for the UAE badge, which has given me everything. My head coach believed in me a lot. I bowled in the powerplay and took three wickets and yeah it was a dream spell for me as a left-arm spinner.”
Haider also leans on inputs from former UAE left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza, who is part of the scouting network at Capitals in the ILT20, and UAE team analyst Manpreet Sidhu.
“Ahmed Raza is like my brother and I worked a lot with him at ILT20,” Haider says. “I also talk about my game with Manpreet sir, who knows various conditions really well. He has worked with teams in India and England. I will always keep disturbing them with too many questions about my bowling (laughs). Obviously, Lal sir is the main man in the team and he loves working with players who are fighters. There are many fighters in the UAE team.”
Haider is certainly one of those fighters. He never gives up, despite the odds being stacked against him, and has soldiered on to reach his biggest stage yet.
