All-rounder Faheem Ashraf all set to return to Northamptonshire

• The all-rounder featured for the Steelbacks in the 2019 Vitality Blast.
• Faheem Ashraf picked up 11 wickets at the tournament, and was club’s joint-leading wicket taker.

Pakistan bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf will return to Northamptonshire for the opening half of the 2020 season.

The all-rounder featured for the Steelbacks in the 2019 Vitality Blast, finishing the club’s joint-leading wicket taker with 11 scalps at an average of 19. “He’s a little bit different bowling wise to what we currently have, he’s got a little bit more pace, he’s a swing bowler and he’s got a batting average of 30,” said Northamptonshire Head Coach David Ripley in a club statement.

“I think the key element for Faheem is although we signed him for white ball cricket this year it was pretty clear to see he could bat properly. He’s played test match cricket for Pakistan so he’s a genuine three formats cricketer,” he added.

Red ball captain Adam Rossington echoed the thoughts of Ripley. “What the seam bowlers in Pakistan tend to have to do is find a way to get people out when those wickets are very flat and pretty slow. That’s with swing, that’s with Yorkers and bouncers, that’s with reverse swing,” Rossington said.

The club added that Ashraf remains available for selection in all-forms of cricket until the end of the 2020 Vitality Blast group stages.