A total of seven players from India and Pakistan, including four in one game, played in the latest round of the 2022 County Championship.
India and Pakistan have not played a Test match in nearly 15 years, but Edgbaston witnessed what that could look like, with two Indians turning out for Warwickshire and two Pakistan players representing Somerset.
Here is a look at how they, and the others, fared.
Imam-Ul-Haq – Somerset, v Warwickshire
Imam was playing his second county game of the season, after having scored 90 and 5* against Gloucestershire last week. However, he did not have the best outing against Warwickshire at Birmingham and was constantly troubled by the off-stump-seeking deliveries of Mohammed Siraj.
He lasted 20 balls in the first innings, before falling to the India pacer as he attempted to cut a good-length delivery. In the second innings, he could only face five balls, edging Siraj to second slip to end a poor game.
Mohammed Siraj – Warwickshire, v Somerset
The India quick made his county debut against Somerset and was the star of the show, especially in the first innings, scalping a five-wicket haul. He started off the innings with the wicket of Pakistan opener Imam-Ul-Haq, troubling the left-hander as he kept bowling in the off-stump channel. He then ran through the line-up, surprising batters with his bouncers and inswingers, completing a five-for on debut. He returned in the second innings to grab Imam’s wicket again.
He ended the games with figures of 5-82 and 1-32 in a total of 40 overs.
Sajid Khan – Somerset, v Warwickshire
Sajid, who picked up an eight-for against Bangladesh for Pakistan last year, had an underwhelming game with the ball, picking up one wicket across innings, but contributed in other areas. While he was economical in the first innings, he conceded runs at over 4.60 in the second. In the field, he effected a direct hit from the deep to run out Jayant Yadav, while with the bat he struck a half-century from No.10 in the first innings to grab Somerset a crucial batting bonus point.
Jayant Yadav – Warwickshire, v Somerset
The spinner picked up one wicket in the first innings – that of opener Tom Lammonby, but it was his dismissal of nightwatchman Kasey Aldridge in the second innings that garnered greater acclaim. The ball pitched outside the off-stump and came back in sharply to sneak through the batter’s defences, as Jayant announced his arrival in style. He went on to get one more wicket in the innings, trapping James Rew lbw for 22.
He had also impressed with the bat in the first innings, scoring a crucial 54-ball 29 after his side had collapsed to 95-4. Jayant was run out in the second innings for eight, off a brilliant throw by Sajid.
Azhar Ali – Worcestershire, v Sussex
Azhar got only one innings to bat in the game. In the first innings, he walked out after the openers Ed Pollock and Jake Libby had piled on 195 on the board. His stay lasted 40 balls, in which he scored 16 runs.
Shubman Gill – Glamorgan, v Middlesex
Gill had a stellar start to his 2022 County Championship season, scoring 92 against Worcestershire in Cardiff, but was unable to continue his form against Middlesex, scoring 22 and 11.
Batting at No.3, Gill did score three trademark fours as he raced to 22 in 23 in the first dig but was unable to convert his knock, clean bowled by Toby Roland-Jones. He offered some resistance in the second innings, taking 34 balls to score 11 but was caught off Tim Murtagh.
Faheem Ashraf – Sussex, vs Worcestershire
Ashraf had a game he would like to erase from his memory. Taking the new ball, he failed to stall the run flow, eventually ending with an economy rate of 6.70, making him the most expensive bowler in the game across both sides. He could also pick up only a solitary wicket in 18 overs. With the bat, he made two in his only innings.
