Pakistan ex-international off-spinner and a legend of the game Saqlain Mushtaq will be joining Carrington Cricket Club for the 2016 season.
The 39-year-old, who has been English qualified for many years, will be moving to Nottingham and has decided to join the club to play cricket and help the local youth to develop there cricketing skills.
He is best known for pioneering the “doosra”, a leg break delivery bowled with an off break action. He has not played professional cricket for many years now but was devastating at international and domestic level across the world.
During the period of 1997-2005 when Saqlain was with Surrey County Cricket Club, he proved to be one of the most devastating bowlers the club has seen. In just 80 matches he took 384 wickets at the incredible average of 20.79, which included 30 five-wicket hauls.
Saqlain joining the club will bolster the Carrington Cricket team, who this year will be playing in Division 1A of the Gunn and Moore South Nottinghamshire Cricket League.
Commenting on Saqlain joining the club, Chairman Clinton Mike said: “It is with great pleasure that we welcome such a legend of the game to the club.
“We are privileged that he has chosen to come and play for us and help support the development of our young cricketers, personally I can’t wait to watch him weave his magic in 2016.
“It is normally the premier league sides that get players of this calibre; this will be brilliant for our club and its supporters as well as raising the profile of the South Nottinghamshire Cricket League.
Saqlain also runs his own cricket academy and has plans to expand this across the country and will be running sessions at Carrington Cricket Club in 2016.
Saqlain said: “I love it. I love playing cricket, talking cricket, coaching cricket, seeing cricket and being part of it. I am looking forward to joining Carrington Cricket Club and making Nottingham my home.
“Cricket is my love, my passion, my everything. I can’t go away from cricket. I have always loved it and enjoyed it and hopefully while my body allows me, I’ll keep playing and can’t wait to get out on to the park at Carrington Cricket ground”.
Carrington Cricket Club is a local club that’s was last year promoted from division 1B of the South Nottinghamshire League. It has aspirations and hopes to be part of the Nottinghamshire Premier league if successful this year. It has a number young promising cricketers with aspirations to go onto play professional cricket.
They are being supported by Nottingham Business support organisation First Enterprise, who has a long standing tradition of developing community organisations and social enterprises.
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