Both Fakhar Zaman and Hasan Ali have been omitted, as well as other high-profile players like former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Ihsanullah, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zaman Khan.
There are some good players there, although some of them are getting past their peak. There will doubtless be opportunities around the globe for them in T20 competitions, but the one that caught my eye was the omission of Zaman Khan.
At 23 he is the sort of player they should surely be encouraging and I suspect several counties will be interested in securing his services for the Vitality Blast next year.
I hope that Derbyshire are among them, because a top new ball and death bowler is worth its weight in gold in that format. David Payne played a major part in Gloucestershire's success last season and Zaman was a huge favourite at Derbyshire in 2023.
To be fair, an unheralded contribution to his success was made by Haider Ali (who also seems to have faded from the scene) who acted as interpreter for a young man who spoke next to no English. I suspect Caleb Jewell doesn't have such linguistic skills to offer..
Maybe that has changed, perhaps Zaman has become injury prone and been worked out by top level batters.
But I find it hard to believe a young man of 23 hasn't got the potential to be worthy of perseverance, when he has accomplished what he has in a relatively short career.
I would expect one or two of those names above to show up in England in 2025.
Was Zaman who Mickey Arthur referred to as a 'returning player'?
On the face of it, I would have no complaints.
What about you?
I hope you’re right re the “ returning player “ reference Peakfan.
ReplyDeleteWould be a cracking T20 signing
Paul
I have no inside information, Paul. But Zaman did very well for us. I still still think the most likely returning player is Blair Tickner, but we need something different for T20. While my preference would be an all rounder, Khan is certainly that
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