Pakistan batsman Haider Ali, who earned his maiden call-up for the England tour, on Thursday said India swashbuckling opener Rohit Sharma is his role model because he finishes off the game and he is a real match-winner. Ali has played for the Pakistan U19 team and had an outstanding 2019-20 season, following which he earned an emerging contract for the 2020-21 season. He was Pakistan U19's second most successful batsman with 317 runs against South Africa U19 in June. He also contributed 239 runs in nine matches at a strike-rate of over 158 for Peshawar Zalmi in the unfinished Pakistan Super League 2020.

"As far as role models are concerned, mine is Rohit Sharma. I really like him as a player, and want to give the side an aggressive start at the top, and hit the ball cleanly like him," Haider said in a video press conference. "He is a man for all three formats, and he can adapt his game to all three formats. And the thing I like best is when he crosses 50, he moves on to a 100, and then he's thinking of 150, and even 200. That's what I want to do: to think about getting big scores, and when I get there, aim for even bigger ones. He finishes the game off for his side, and is a real match-winner," he added.