Football

Spin bowler Ajmal joins Hampshire

'One of the best bowlers in the world' signs for country cricket team Hampshire after phenomenal year with Pakistan.
Last Modified: 21 Dec 2012 12:04
Ajmal hopes to help Hampshire gain promotion into County Championship Division One [AP]

English county Hampshire said on Friday that they have secured the services of Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal next season as a two-month replacement for Australia Twenty20 skipper George Bailey.

The 35-year-old Ajmal, who has taken 122 wickets in 23 Tests and was instrumental in Pakistan's win over England in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year, will play in August and September when Bailey joins Australia's limited-overs squad.

Bailey is likely to be involved in Australia's T20 internationals against visitors England.

"I am very pleased to be joining Hampshire to play in the County Championship," said Ajmal.

The spinner has previously turned out for Worcestershire in the 2011 campaign.

"I have always enjoyed playing in England and look forward to playing my part in helping Hampshire get promoted," he added in a statement on the club's website ageasbowl.com

The southern English county start next season in the second division. 

The arrival of Ajmal - described by Hampshire manager Giles Smith as "one of the best bowlers in the world in all forms of the game - will be vital if young left-arm spinner Danny Briggs is also involved in the England-Australia ODIs.

197

Source:
AFP
Topics in this article
People
Country
Featured on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera's exclusive publishing of a key Guantanamo prison military document lays bare the brutality of force-feeding.
Former military official says poverty and anger in indigenous communities mean conditions for an "insurgency" are ripe.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
Featured
Two years since the start of the uprising, rebels and Assad's forces remain locked in conflict.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Extensive coverage of war crimes tribunals and controversial calls for blasphemy laws.
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
Al Jazeera looks at the escalation of military threats between N Korea and geopolitical rivals.
join our mailing list