Tag: County Championship 2022

Sajid Khan joins Somerset for 2022 County Championship remainder

Posted on by A Sports

KARACHI: Pakistan right-arm off break bowler Sajid Khan has been signed by Somerset County Cricket Club for the remainder of the 2022 County Championship season. 

Taking to Twitter, Somerset announced the signing with the right-arm Pakistan spinner.

“Somerset CCC are delighted to announce the signing of Pakistan off-spinner Sajid Khan for the remainder of the 2022 County Championship season,” the county club wrote on Twitter.

In a statement released by Somerset, Sajid said he is delighted to join the county club and is looking forward to winning matches for the side in the remainder of the season.

“I know that in recent years Babar Azam and Azhar Ali have enjoyed their time at Somerset, and I am looking forward to playing alongside Imam-ul-Haq again,” Somerset quoted Sajid.

“I hope that I can contribute to Somerset winning the last four County Championship games of the season.

Somerset Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry stated that following the unavailability of their key spinner Jack Leach due to his England commitments for at least two rounds of Championship cricket it was important to recruit an international quality spinner for the County Championship run-in.

“After detailed consideration of all the options available to us, we felt that Sajid Khan was the standout individual. He has proved his quality at the very highest level, and he is hungry to test himself in English conditions over the next few weeks,” Hurry stated.

“He is a player with an outstanding attitude, and he is well aware of exactly what County Championship cricket means to this Club and its Members and supporters,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam and veteran batter Azhar Ali have represented the county club in numerous matches.

READ: Ravindra Jadeja ruled out of Asia Cup, Axar Patel named as replacement

Ali, Rizwan power Sussex to beat Derbyshire after a thrilling run chase

Posted on by A Sports

HOVE: Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and the left-handed opener Ali Orr shone with the bat as the duo powered Sussex to seal a scintillating victory over Derbyshire after an incredible run chase on the final day.

Set to chase 342 on a rain-hit final day, Sussex did not hold back and produced an astounding run chase to seal their first victory since April 2021.

The persistent showers in the morning washed out 14 overs from the day’s play and as a result, prevented Derbyshire from adding some crucial and quick runs into their overnight 341-run lead.

With the action reduced by 14 overs, the Derbyshire captain Billy Godleman decided to declare their innings at the same and put on a commendable 342-run target for Sussex in the last two sessions.

In the run chase, the opener Orr set the tone with his career-best 141 and was magnificently supported by Rizwan and Tom Aslop, who scored 55 and 76* respectively.

Following an unwanted start to the run chase for Sussex as their skipper Tom Haines was trapped in front by Alex Thompson on 20 at a combined score of 41. Orr and Aslop then ticked along and laid the foundation of the astonishing run chase with a 140 runs stand for the second wicket.

The duo appeared solid as they were marching towards the total at a rapid pace before Aslop miscued a drive to mid-off after contributing 55.

The newcomer Rizwan then joined Orr at the crease and made no mistake to adapt to the required condition as the duo further added 93 runs before Orr departed after he was caught on the mid-wicket boundary off Luis Reece, having faced 203 balls and scoring his career-best 141.

Rizwan then had to battle hard with what looked like a hamstring injury and seemed unaffected by it as he kept pushing for the victory and was supported by the cameos from Delray Rawlins and Ollie Carter.

Despite losing quick wickets in the closing minutes, Rizwan and newly-joined Danial Ibrahim steered their side to the victory in the 74th over. Rizwan remained unbeaten with his gritty knock of 76 off 82 balls with the help of 10 boundaries including a six.

It is pertinent to mention here that Rizwan made his last appearance for the Sussex as he will be returning to international duty with Pakistan as the Green Shirts will be on their away assignment in the Test series against Sri Lanka.

READ: Shaheen rises to third spot in the latest ICC ODI Bowling Rankings 

Hasnain joins Worcestershire for the remainder of County Championship

Posted on by A Sports

WORCESTER: Pakistan’s right-arm pacer Mohammad Hasnain has joined the Worcestershire County Cricket Club for the remainder of the ongoing County Championship 2022.

Hasnain, who successfully rectified his bowling action after it was deemed illegal following his incredible run in the Big Bash League 2022, has received major confidence booster with his latest signing as the right-arm pacer is set to join the Worcestershire for the final six fixtures of the ongoing tournament.

According to Worcestershire, the 22-year-old will make his county championship debut on July 11 against Middlesex.

 

On his signing with Worcestershire, the young pacer claimed he is overjoyed and is looking forward to helping his team win matches and most importantly to gain valuable experience in playing first-class cricket.

“I’m really looking forward to my first taste of county cricket. I want to help Worcestershire win matches first and foremost, but I also want to play more first-class cricket, and this is an ideal opportunity,” Worcestershire quoted Hasnain.

“It will also be part of my cricketing education playing in England on different pitches,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that the right-arm pacer has represented Pakistan in 26 internationals; including 18 T20Is and eight ODIs. He will also be seen in action for the Oval Invincibles in the forthcoming second edition of The Hundred, scheduled in August.

READ: NLC Polo Tournament: Ghizer Tigers, Ghizer Highlanders reach next round

‘Playing County Cricket will help us in international cricket’ Haris Rauf

Posted on by Zahid Noor

LEEDS: Pakistan’s right-arm speedster Haris Rauf shared his experience of playing the County Cricket in the United Kingdom and claimed it would help him in international cricket.

Haris, in an exclusive interview with this reporter here, commented on his participation in the county cricket and claimed that he gained valuable experience from playing in different conditions which would benefit him in the international matches.

“England tour was a wonderful experience. County cricket is a bit difficult but there is a lot to learn from this,” Haris stated.

“It is a bit challenging to control the Dukes ball here in these conditions but again I have learned a lot from this which will definitely help in international cricket,” he maintained.

Haris further opined regarding the next assignment with the Green Shirts against the West Indies in the scorching weather of Multan, claiming that being a professional cricketer, one has to be prepared for such challenges.

“Being professional cricketers, we have to be prepared for such challenges. We are playing for our country so we will give our best on the field regardless of the weather,” he concluded.

Shadab, on the other hand, also seconds Haris on his remarks regarding the challenge of playing against West Indies in the scorching heat of Multan by saying we would have to get used to it.

“There is no fear from the heat of Multan, no doubt it is hot but you have to get used to it,” Shadab stated.

Shadab further commented regarding his recovery from the injury and revealed he was under a lot of pressure before travelling here while claiming to be fully prepared for the forthcoming series.

“I was a little bit of under pressure when I came here. I played here after the PSL, my goal was to practice before the series and I am well prepared for it,” Shadab claimed.

“It was a rather difficult condition but I enjoyed it a lot. Our focus is on the West Indies series right now and we will try to play a good series,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Shadab and Haris have departed from the UK after participating in the ongoing County season. The two cricketers will land in Pakistan today to participate in the recently commenced training camp for the home ODI series against the West Indies.

READ: ‘It is a part of the game’ Babar backs struggling Rizwan for Windies ODIs

Sussex’s Rizwan, Middlesex’s Shaheen come face to face today

Posted on by A Sports

HOVE: Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and the left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who are representing Sussex and Middlesex respectively, will come face to face in the Round 5 of the ongoing County Championship 2022.

Middlesex and Sussex, who are set to face each other in the fifth round of the ongoing championship will see an anticipated face-off between two Pakistanis.

Shaheen, who has been in an exceptional form while representing Middlesex in the ongoing championship will find a major challenge in the form of Rizwan in the opposing lineup.

 

The fifth round fixture between Middlesex and Sussex will also provide a rare face-off between India’s Cheteshwar Pujara and Pakistan’s Shaheen.

It is pertinent to mention here that Shaheen has picked 10 wickets in three matches for the Middlesex, while Pujara is also in red hot form as the Southpaw has struck two double centuries in a brief four-match stint so far. Rizwan, on the other hand, who had been off-colour, has found his rhythm as he scored a brilliant 79 in the latest outing.

READ: Murray withdraws from much-anticipated clash with Djokovic due to illness

WATCH: Hasan Ali takes two wickets in an over in County Championship

Posted on by A Sports

SOUTHAMPTON: Pakistani right-arm pacer Hasan Ali, who is representing Lancashire in the ongoing County Championship 2022, took two wickets in an over against Hampshire in the third-round fixture.

In a video shared by County Championship, the right-arm speedster can be seen taking two wickets in an over against Hampshire.

In his side’s third fixture of the 2022 championship, Hasan dismissed English Test cricketer Liam Dawson on the second ball before removing Ben Brown on the fifth ball.

It is pertinent to mention here that Hampshire are in trouble on the first day of the ongoing match as the side has lost five wickets for a mere 74 in the first innings.

READ: Trump blunts Bingham to reach World Snooker Championship semis

WATCH: Labuschagne gets Shaheen after a handy cameo of 29

Posted on by A Sports

CARDIFF: The on-ground rivalry between the top-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Shaheen Shah Afridi takes a twist as the prior removed the latter in division two of the ongoing County Championship 2022, here on Friday.

In the division two match between Shaheen’s Middlesex and Labuschagne’s Glamorgan. The exciting on-field rivalry between the two marked an interesting twist as the Australian turned the tables by removing Pakistan’s speedster after a handy cameo of 29.

Taking to Twitter, the official handle of the County Championship posted a video of the top-ranked batter Labuschagne removing Pakistan’s top-ranked Test bowler.

“Marnus Labuschagne gets Shaheen Afridi. But not before [Shaheen] could do some damage with the bat,” the caption read.

 

It is pertinent to mention here that Shaheen has removed Labuschagne five times in Test cricket; embarking on an exciting rivalry with the Australian batter. The left-arm pacer also dismissed Labuschagne in his first county championship yesterday.

Shaheen’s astonishing cameo of 29 off just 39 balls helped Middlesex finish at 336 to take a 224-runs lead.

READ: ICC appoints former PCB CEO Wasim Khan as General Manager

Naseem Shah ruled out of County Championship’s fixtures of April, May

Posted on by A Sports

BRISTOL: Pakistan’s right-arm speedster Naseem Shah, who is representing Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the ongoing County Championship 2022, will miss his side’s fixtures in April and May due to a shoulder injury.

The right-arm pacer, who suffered a shoulder injury in his debut match in the County Cricket, has been forced to miss the side’s remaining fixtures in April and May.

Naseem’s county club Gloucestershire, released an official statement regarding his fitness update and confirmed that the prior will be out of action for two months.

“Fast bowler Naseem Shah has been ruled out of Gloucestershire’s remaining County Championship games in April and May after picking up an injury to his shoulder,” the statement read.

 

Gloucestershire further shared that the 19-years-old pacer will undergo rehabilitation with the club’s medical team here.

“Naseem will undergo this process of rehabilitation in Bristol with the Gloucestershire medical team and will return to first-team action in time for the T20 Vitality Blast campaign,” the statement added.

 

It is pertinent to mention here that Naseem could only bowl in the first innings of the match, bowling 11 overs and picking up one wicket for 41 runs.

READ: Injury haunts Pakistan’s pacer Naseem in County Championship

Injury haunts Pakistan’s pacer Naseem in County Championship

Posted on by A Sports

KARACHI: Pakistan’s young pacer Naseem Shah, who is representing Gloucestershire in the ongoing County Cricket Championship 2022, sustained a shoulder injury during his first match of the tournament.

Naseem, while playing in the division one match of the ongoing County Championship, sustained a shoulder injury.

The injury also prevented the young pacer from bowling on the final day of the match.

Naseem only bowled in the first innings of the match, bowling 11 overs and picking up one wicket for 41 runs.

According to the details, the Gloucestershire management, on the other hand, is confident about Naseem recovering completely ahead of the next fixture.

It is pertinent to mention here that Gloucestershire signed the 22-year-old pacer for the entire season and he will also be available for the county in the upcoming T20 Blast.

READ: PCB updates PM Shahbaz Sharif as patron-in-chief on their website

Hasan Ali joins Lancashire Cricket for 2022 County Championship

Posted on by A Sports

LANCASHIRE: Pakistan’s pacer – Hasan Ali has been signed by Lancashire Cricket for the upcoming 2022 County Championship.

Taking to Twitter, Lancashire announced the signing with the enterprising fast bowler.

According to the county club, Hasan will be available for at least the first two months of the season. The right-arm pacer is expected to make his English County debut against Kent at Canterbury on 14 April. He will be available until after Lancashire’s match against Essex which starts on 19 May at Emirates Old Trafford.

In a statement released by Lancashire, Hasan said he is excited to play county cricket for the first time in his career.

“I am very excited at the prospect of playing county cricket in England for the first time in my career,” he said.

“Emirates Old Trafford is a stadium which holds special memories for me, after making my T20 International debut against England there in 2016,” he added.

The 27-years-old pacer also shared his excitement for following the footsteps of the Pakistan great fast-bowler Wasim Akram.

“I am very proud to follow in the footsteps of Wasim Akram, a Pakistan legend, who always talks so highly of his time with Lancashire. I can’t wait to join up with the squad in April and I hope to make a significant contribution in the games that I play,” he concluded.

It is worth mentioning here that Hasan has picked 72 wickets at an average of 21 in Test matches and an overall First-Class tally of 244 wickets at 23.

READ: Pakistan, Australia to lock horns for Benaud-Qadir Trophy