Pakistan International Batsman to Cover for Grant Elliott
Leicestershire CCC is delighted to announce the signing of Pakistan international batsman Umar Akmal for part of the NatWest T20 Blast tournament in 2015.
The Foxes’ new signing will play four games in June covering for overseas signing Grant Elliott, who is on New Zealand ODI duty against England next month.
The highly talented 24-year-old has a best T20 score of 94 for Pakistan and a terrific overall strike rate of 128.65 in his T20 career. Brother of fellow internationals Kamran and Adnan, Umar has made centuries in Test matches and ODIs and was part of Pakistan’s ICC World Cup squad.
Umar said: “This will be my first time playing T20 for a county and I am very excited to be handed this opportunity. The club have put their trust in me so I will give my 100 per cent efforts to repay their faith.”
There’s already one exciting date for the diary for fans of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Pakistan as Akmal could face international teammate Shahid Afridi when the Steelbacks visit Grace Road on Friday, June 12.
Afridi was a firm favourite with the Leicestershire faithful during his time at the club and his return to Grace Road promises to be a fascinating encounter with Akmal now snapped up by the Foxes.
Leicestershire CCC Head Coach Andrew McDonald said: “It is brilliant that we are signing a player of Umar’s quality for when Grant is on international duty with New Zealand.
“Our fans should get the chance to see Umar at Grace Road on Friday, June 12, and we are all looking forward to him showcasing his skills over the course of the four games.”
Leicestershire CCC Club Captain Mark Cosgrove added: “It is fantastic to have Umar with us when Grant goes to play for New Zealand. Along with Clint, we have high-class overseas players to supplement the young talent we have here.”
