Lancashire sign Afghan teen for rest of campaign
LANCASHIRE have bolstered their squad for the final two months of the season by signing spinner Zahir Khan.
The Afghan goes straight into the Lightning squad for tonight’s crucial Vitality Blast clash with Durham Jets at Emirates Old Trafford as the Red Rose look to halt their slide down the table.
Left-arm wrist spinner Khan, 19, is the second spinner signed by the club in a matter of days following the arrival of Scotland international Mark Watt last week.
Khan played a vital role in Afghanistan’s run to the semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup in 2016 and featured prominently at the Intercontinental Cup, which Afghanistan won to secure their status as a Test-playing nation last year.
He has 34 wickets from his seven first-class matches, and was picked by Rajasthan Royals in this year’s IPL, where he teamed up with Lancashire’s Jos Buttler, as well as Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Khan will be available for both the Blast and the remaining Specsavers County Championship matches as Lancashire look to battle their way out of relegation trouble.
The spin department has been one of Lancashire’s strengths in recent years, but this season they have lost Simon Kerrigan - who is taking a break from the game - and now Liam Livingstone, who is out for several weeks after breaking his thumb.
And although the emergence of Matt Parkinson has been a major plus, neither Stephen Parry nor Aaron Lilley have impressed as much as in recent seasons.
In fact Parry was left out of the defeat to Leicestershire Foxes last time out and is named in the second XI for their game today instead of the first-team squad.
“We’re really pleased that Zahir has joined the club for the rest of the season,” said Lancashire head coach Glen Chapple.
“He is an exciting prospect and gives us another option with the ball. We’re looking forward to welcoming him to Emirates Old Trafford.”
Having topped the group after six matches, wash-outs and two defeats have seen Lancashire dropped to fourth in the Blast North Group, with Durham just a point ahead of them in second.
After tonight’s clash, they then face Rose rivals Yorkshire - who are third - at Headingley on Thursday before hosting Birmingham Bears on Friday night. They finish the week at Durham on Sunday.
And Khan can’t wait to get into the thick of the action.
“I’m really excited to be signing for Lancashire for the rest of the campaign,” he said.
“It’s always been an ambition of mine to play county cricket in England and test myself against some of the world’s best players. “I can’t wait to get started now. “I have heard a lot of good things about Lancashire and Emirates Old Trafford from Jos Buttler when I played with him at the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and I hope to make a significant contribution during my stay here.”
Today’s clash at Old Trafford is a double-header with Lancashire Thunder, who face Surrey Stars in the Kia Super League before Lightning’s match, with both games being televised by Sky.
It has so far been an impressive season for Thunder, after two campaigns of struggle, and they go into the match third in the table, although will have to bounce back from Friday’s defeat to Western Storm.
“We are really positive,” said Thunder coach Alex Blackwell. “We know we can play ever better than we have, and we came up against a very good side in Western Storm, where one player had a day out.
“We don’t take too many negatives, but we will debrief and keep our thought processes the same whether we win or lose.”