Nine Pakistan internationals are currently competing in the County Championship, here’s how they’ve been getting on so far.
All statistics are till April 24, 2022.
Mohammad Abbas – Hampshire
10 wkts @ 22.60
Abbas returned to Hampshire this season following a successful stint with the county in 2021. Against Somerset in Hampshire’s opening round he hit the ground running, taking six wickets in the match for just 50 runs before going wicketless at the Oval against Surrey. In Hampshire’s match against Kent, he had match figures of 4-109 to round off a strong start to the season.
Naseem Shah – Gloucestershire
1 wkt @ 41
Shah was able to bowl just eleven overs on his debut for Gloucestershire last week before a shoulder injury ruled him out of action for a month. He will be replaced by former Pakistan quick Mohammad Amir, who has signed for the county on a short-term deal to play three Championship games.
Zafar Gohar – Gloucestershire
10 wkts @ 38.10. 125 runs @ 20.83
The left-arm spinner played for Gloucestershire in 2021 and re-signed with the county ahead of the 2022 season. So far, he has had a steady start to the season with both bat and ball, scoring a half-century in week one and following it up with a 40 against Yorkshire. With the ball, he is Gloucestershire’s leading wicket-taker with ten wickets at an average of 38.10.
Hasan Ali – Lancashire
14 wkts @ 13.57
Ali has had a fantastic start to life at Lancashire, taking a six-wicket haul against Gloucestershire in just his second appearance which included a stump-breaking yorker. The Pakistan quick has been box-office viewing, giving an animated send-offto Josh Shaw after a swinging beauty to the lower-order batter before taking the final wicket of the match to claim victory with just 3.5 overs of the day remaining.
Haris Rauf – Yorkshire
9 wkts @ 33.88
Rauf, signed up by Yorkshire for six Championship games, has impressed in his start to life in county cricket, bowling with excellent pace and catching the eye with some spectacular dismissals.
Shan Masood – Derbyshire
611 runs @ 152.75
Masood has been the star of the opening rounds of the County Championship. In his first match, he registered two half-centuries before scoring consecutive double-centuries against Sussex and Leicestershire. A fantastic start to life for the opener as he looks to force his way back into the Pakistan Test side.
Shaheen Shah Afridi – Middlesex
4 wkts @ 17.265
The left-armer has played just one game for Middlesex after arriving at the county last week, but enjoyed a great start in their win against Glamorgan. Most notably, Afridi dismissed Marnus Labuschagne in both innings as well as scoring a career-best 29 with the bat.
Mohammad Rizwan – Sussex
26 runs @ 8.66
The wicket-keeper batter, named Wisden’s T20 Player of the Year last week, had a difficult start to life in the County Championship. A high score of 22 came in his first game against Derbyshire, before he was dismissed for a golden duck and four against Worcestershire in Sussex’s innings defeat. Behind the stumps, though, he’s been solid.
Azhar Ali – Worcestershire
23 runs @ 7.66
An almost identical record to Rizwan, Azhar Ali’s time at Worcestershire has got off to a difficult start. In his first match, he scored just three runs across his two innings, which included a run out, before scoring 20 in his team’s innings victory against Sussex.
