Worcestershire signs Shakib Al Hasan for 2011 Friends Provident Twenty20
Bangladesh's triumphant skipper Shakib Al Hasan has reached an agreement with Worcestershire County Cricket Club for a seven-week period to play for the county in the Friends Provident T20 tournament. The
only obstacle in finalizing the deal is getting a work permit approval and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
Shakib became the ever first Bengali cricketer to play county cricket when he was signed by Worcestershire for the 2010 county season. The Bengali Tiger made a fine impression during his brief spell with
the county, picking up 35 wickets in just eight County Championship games. His startling performance in the season was against Middlesex at Lord’s when he returned with astounding figures of 7 for 32 as the Panthers were rolled out for just 66.
Worcestershire's Director of Cricket, Steve Rhodes, was excited upon signing the Bangladesh all-rounder for the 2011 county season as well - though for another brief stint - and was hopeful to see another
aggressive performance from Shakib in the middle of the 2011 season.
"We are delighted to welcome back someone of such stature who will be a valuable asset to our Championship and Twenty20 campaigns during his stay,” said Rhodes. “His commitments with Bangladesh means that
his stay is only for a short period, but expect some fireworks from Shakib in the middle of the season."
The 23-year-old left-hander from Jessore is still ranked as the world's leading all-rounder in the ODI format of cricket above seasoned names including Shane Watson of Australia and Jacques Kallis of South
Africa.
Shakib said that playing county cricket has, in a real sense, fine-tuned his game, and was hopeful that the next season would also help him further improve himself as a player.
"My first season with Worcestershire in county cricket has made me a better professional and hopefully, a better player and I have realised how important a role the championship plays in the development of
cricketers."
Shakib’s signing was Worcestershire's third of the last week besides Australian all-rounder Damien Wright and Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal.
Rhodes expected that all these imports will turn out to be real asset for Bears next season. "The recent signings will give experience throughout the summer and I can see this being a real asset to the development
of a young squad," added Rhodes.
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