| Full Name | Ali Raza |
| Age | 18 |
| Date of Birth | 18 March 2008 |
| Birthplace | Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Batting Style | Right Handed Bat |
| Bowling Style | Right Arm Medium Fast |
| Playing Role | Bowler |
| PSL Team | Peshawar Zalmi (2025 and 2026) |
| Top Speed | 149.4 km/h (PSL 2026) |
| PSL Debut | 2025 — Peshawar Zalmi |
| U19 Debut | November 2022 — age 14 |
| PSL Record | Youngest hat-trick in PSL history (18y 35d) |
| T20 Best | 4/21 vs Multan Sultans, PSL 2026 |
| FC Best | 7/48 — 10 wickets in match (10/110) |
| T10 League | Deccan Gladiators, Abu Dhabi T10 (2025) |
| Format | M | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Avg | Econ | SR | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC | 6 | 32 | 7/48 | 10/110 | 20.50 | 3.18 | 38.6 | 2 | 1 |
| List A | 12 | 17 | 3/56 | 3/56 | 31.11 | 6.16 | 30.2 | 0 | 0 |
| T20s | 20 | 26 | 4/21 | 4/21 | 23.73 | 9.05 | 15.7 | 0 | 0 |
M: Matches Wkts: Wickets BBI: Best Bowling Innings BBM: Best Bowling Match Avg: Average Econ: Economy SR: Strike Rate
| Format | M | Inn | Runs | HS | Avg | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC | 6 | 12 | — | — | — | — |
| List A | 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
| T20s | 20 | — | — | — | — | — |
Ali Raza is a specialist fast bowler. Batting contributions are minimal at this stage of his career.
Source: ESPNCricinfo · Updated June 2026
Ali Raza is the most exciting fast bowling prospect Pakistan has produced since Shaheen Shah Afridi burst onto the scene as a teenager. Born on 18 March 2008 in Nankana Sahib in Punjab, he is a right-arm fast bowler who generates pace that batters at any level find genuinely uncomfortable to deal with. At 18 years old he is already clocking 149 km/h, holding his action together under pressure and producing match-winning spells in the PSL. That combination of attributes at that age is exceptionally rare anywhere in the world.
He made his debut in age-group cricket at just 14 years old in November 2022, an unusually young entry that spoke to how much the selectors believed in what they were seeing. He went on to represent Pakistan Under-19s across multiple tournaments, playing through the 2024 and 2026 U19 World Cups and developing a reputation as someone who troubled the very best young batters in the world. He dismissed India’s teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi twice across their U19 encounters, a detail that made people take notice in cricketing circles well beyond Pakistan. At the 2026 U19 World Cup he was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets at an average of 13.92, performances that showed he was not just fast but clinical.
His PSL career with Peshawar Zalmi across 2025 and 2026 turned him into a household name. In PSL 2026 he produced a spell against Multan Sultans that went down as one of the most dominant of the season, taking 4 for 21 as Zalmi won by 120 runs, the biggest margin of victory by runs in PSL history. That spell included accurate yorkers, sharp bouncers and deliveries consistently clocking in the high 140s. A few days later against Karachi Kings on 22 April 2026, he clean bowled David Warner with a 145.1 km/h thunderbolt and then produced a hat-trick in the final over, becoming the youngest bowler in PSL history to take a hat-trick at 18 years and 35 days old. He joined an elite club alongside Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan and Imran Tahir and became the first Peshawar Zalmi bowler ever to take a PSL hat-trick. He ended that innings with figures of 4 for 41 and his season high of 149.4 km/h was recorded against Quetta Gladiators.
The National newspaper called him the most impressive Pakistan fast bowler of PSL 2026 and said his ability to touch 150 km/h while also extracting movement at his age made him the first name that should be on any list for the senior Pakistan pace bowling group. He also represented Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10 League in October 2025, an experience of franchise cricket in the UAE that added another dimension to his fast-developing cricket education. In red-ball cricket his first-class record of 32 wickets at 20.50 with two five-wicket hauls and a ten-wicket match haul already shows a bowler who can operate across formats. Pakistan cricket is in very good hands.
Ali became the youngest bowler in PSL history to take a hat-trick on 22 April 2026 against Karachi Kings at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, achieving the feat at just 18 years and 35 days old. He also became the youngest Pakistani to take a T20 hat-trick and the first ever Peshawar Zalmi bowler to take a hat-trick in the PSL. He finished that innings with figures of 4 for 41 including the wicket of David Warner earlier in the over.
He bowls consistently above 140 km/h and has clocked a season high of 149.4 km/h in PSL 2026 against Quetta Gladiators. Against Karachi Kings he clean bowled David Warner with a delivery of 145.1 km/h. He is Pakistan’s fastest teenager and one of the quickest 18-year-olds anywhere in the world right now.
He plays for Peshawar Zalmi in PSL 2026. He was part of the Zalmi squad in PSL 2025 as well and was retained for PSL 11. He has become one of the most important bowlers in Zalmi’s attack and played a key role in their strong run during PSL 2026. He also played for Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10 League in 2025 and represented Chittagong Kings in Bangladesh.
He was born on 18 March 2008 and is 18 years old as of June 2026. He made his U19 debut at just 14 years of age in November 2022 and has already played in two U19 World Cups as well as two PSL seasons for Peshawar Zalmi. He is Pakistan’s most exciting fast bowling prospect and one of the youngest high-pace bowlers in world cricket.
He is the best First-Class bowling figures are 7 for 48, and he has a ten-wicket match haul of 10 for 110 in red-ball cricket, a remarkable record for an 18-year-old fast bowler. In T20 cricket his best figures are 4 for 21 against Multan Sultans in PSL 2026, a spell that contributed to the biggest win by runs in PSL history. He has taken two First-Class five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket match haul at an average of just 20.50.
Ali was born in Nankana Sahib in Punjab, Pakistan on 18 March 2008. He represents Sialkot in domestic cricket and plays for Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL. Nankana Sahib is a city in Punjab located around 75 km from Lahore, and he is currently the most prominent cricketer to have emerged from the city in the modern era.
