Sufyan Moqim is the latest to join the fairly lengthy ‘signed but never played’ list of overseas players for Derbyshire, after the Pakistan Board revoked his No Objection Certificate.
The player is needed for the forthcoming white ball series against Australia and so will not travel to England to take up his contract with Derbyshire for the T20 Blast.
It is the latest blow for Mickey Arthur, in a season that has not been short of them so far.
The county has moved with admirable speed to secure instead the services of 25-year old left arm seamer Akif Javed. While Arthur is on record with his preference for a mystery spinner in 20-over cricket, the second best thing is probably a left arm seam bowler who offers a variation in angle.
Javed has played three one-day internationals for Pakistan and has taken seven wickets, while he has most recently played for the Multan Sultans in the PSL. He also played for Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League, where his coach was the Derbyshire Head of Cricket, so he clearly knows his capabilities. He goes for around eight an over in T20, which if maintained would be an improvement for the county on last year.
Disappointed? Of course, when we had the leading wicket taker in the PSL ready to go. Yet again, it highlights the challenges in securing an overseas player these days. It is akin to VAR in football – just as you cannot celebrate a goal until they have finished their checks, you really can’t get overly excited at an overseas player, until he walks onto the pitch for his first game.
I am old enough to remember Denis Lillee, who was lined up then got a stress fracture, as well as the likes of Jacques Rudolph and Saeed Anwar. None of them appeared after being lined up in what were high profile deals at the time, but these days it must be a nightmare for county clubs. There are so many short notice tours and franchise tournaments which reduce the available worthwhile options.
Again though, it highlights the merits of Mickey Arthur keeping his finger on the pulse with winter coaching gigs. Such a ‘networking’ has highlighted the talents of Javed, who will make for interesting viewing.
As for Moqim, the club have clearly established a connection and it may happen another year, depending on his commitments.
Anyway, welcome to Derbyshire, Akif. I wish you well, as we all do and you can make yourself a local hero in the next few weeks