International career
Ali participated in the 1984 Merdeka Tournament, scoring in a 1–2 defeat against South Korea U20, [10] Primera B XI of Argentina, and two goals in a 2–0 victory against Algeria U20. [11] [12] [13] In the 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification, Ali scored a hat trick in a 4–1 victory against North Yemen, registering Pakistan's lone win in the competition. [14]
At the 1988 Summer Olympics qualification in April 1987, he scored a brace in a 2–2 draw against Nepal. [2] In 1987, Ali was appointed as the 36th captain of the Pakistan national team when Quaid-e-Azam International Cup was held in Lahore, previously participating in the series in 1985 in Peshawar and 1986 in Islamabad. [2] [15] His long range goal in the 1987 South Asian Games against Maldives placed Pakistan second in the group stages, [16] to advance to the third place match against Bangladesh where he again scored the lone goal in the 41st minute to win the bronze medal for Pakistan. [17]
On 10 February 1989, Ali became the first player to score a goal for Pakistan in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in their first participation in the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification, scoring through a penalty kick in the 83rd minute in a 1–4 loss against UAE. [1] Ali played in the 1989 South Asian Games, scoring a goal in a 2–0 victory against Maldives along with Qazi Ashfaq, as Pakistan passed the group stages and won the title by defeating Bangladesh in the final. [2]
In the subsequent 1991 South Asian Games in Colombo under the captainship of Ghulam Sarwar, Ali again won the gold with Pakistan, after defeating Maldives in the final by 2–0. Ali thus became the only Pakistani player to represent the national team in three South Asian Games editions and to have a medal in all three. [2]
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