Vitality Blast: 8 out of 9 Pakistani cricketers will be in action tonight
BIRMINGHAM: All the Pakistani cricketers who played in England’s T20 Blast competition this summer will be in action tonight for various county teams in both the North and South groups, except Hasan Ali who is still awaiting the results of his injury scan. have been.
Hasan, who signed with Warwickshire CCC for this season, was to be in action for Birmingham Bears in the T20 Blast.
But moments before the Bears’ first game of the tournament against Yorkshire Vikings, Hasan twisted his ankle while doing some warm-up exercises at Edgbaston Stadium.
Shaan Masood, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Zaman Khan, Haider Ali and Usama Mir will play for the North Group teams while Will Shadab Khan and Zafar Gohar will feature for the South Group teams.
Fast bowler Naseem will be in action once again as Leicestershire CCC visit Birmingham Bears in their first home match at the Upton Steel County Ground.
After victory in their first match against Yorkshire Vikings, Birmingham Bears’ batting squad has been boosted by the arrival of Glenn Maxwell.
The Australian player joined the Bears squad a few days ago after working with RCB in the IPL.
Although the Bears are still waiting for their regular captain Moeen Ali who is playing for CSK in the IPL. With CSK in the finals, Moeen Ali is set to miss a few more games for the Bears.
Right-arm pacer Naseem who is on a short-term deal with Leicestershire Foxes for the Blast in their first match of the tournament against Lancashire Lightning last night (Thursday).
Naseem remained wicketless as Lancashire chased down just 99 runs to win, beating Leicestershire by 8 wickets inside 12 overs.
Pakistan’s premium fast bowler Shaheen is all set to make his debut for Nottinghamshire Outlaws against Derbyshire Falcons at Trent Bridge tonight, a match billed as the “East Midlands Derby”.
Shaheen will lead the attack for the home team and for the visiting Derbyshire Falcons, it will be another young Pakistani fast bowling sensation Zaman who will lead their pace attack.
Another young Pakistani hard-hitting batsman for Derbyshire, Haider, will also feature against Shaheen as he will open the batting.
The match is also nicknamed the “Battle of the Qalandars” as both play for the Lahore Qalandars in the fast-paced Pakistan Super League.
Shaheen has already praised Zaman and termed him as the best emerging player to be seen in the PSL. Derbyshire’s Head of Cricket Mickey Arthur also praised Zaman’s efforts in the opening match of the T20 Blast competition against Lancashire Lightning, which the Falcons lost to.
Masood will lead Yorkshire Vikings on their trip to New Road tonight against Worcestershire Rapids.
The home team will expect their overseas Pakistani player Usama Mir to repeat his all-round performance as he did in their first match against Northamptonshire Steelbacks.
Mir, who was signed by Worcestershire on a short-term deal, made a huge contribution to the Rapids’ 15-run win over the Steelbacks.
He took 3 wickets for just 21 runs in his 4 overs and scored 20 runs off just 7 balls with 2 sixes and a four.
On the other hand, Masood’s Yorkshire Vikings will be looking for their first win in the Blast after their opening match defeat against Bears.
Left-handed Shaun is the first Pakistani player to captain Yorkshire CCC in history. The Vikings lost their first match against the Bears at Edgbaston last Friday, with Masood conceding just five runs in the match.
Shadab will be in action for Sussex Sharks for the first time in the Blast. In the South Group, the Sharks will take on Somerset at their home ground in Hove for their opening match in the competition. Somerset have already won their first match against Hampshire by 8 wickets.
Left-arm spinner Zafar Gauhar, who re-signed with Gloucestershire CCC this year, will also be in action tonight against neighbors Glamorgan.
He is not only part of Gloucestershire’s squad for the first-class matches but also for their campaign in the Blast.