Auqib Nabi likely to represent Surrey in County Championship
Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi is likely to join Surrey for a brief County Championship stint after securing his England visa. The move will provide him exposure to seamer-friendly conditions ahead of India’s upcoming Test tour of New Zealand
New Delhi:Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi is likely to turn out for English county side Surrey for a brief stint in the ongoing County Championship Division One season.
Nabi, who finished as the leading wicket-taker in the last Ranji Trophy season with 60 wickets at an average of 12.56 to lead J&K to their maiden championship triumph, is expected to be available for Surrey’s upcoming fixture against Yorkshire, starting on September 2 at The Oval.
It is followed by games against Sussex and Glamorgan in Hove and The Oval on September 8 and 15 respectively. “Yes, Auqib has got his visa for going to England, after all the paperwork was done. It is understood that he’s expected to depart for England from New Delhi today. If all goes well, he may be available from the game starting on September 2.
“The main purpose of this stint is also for the Indian team management and selectors to check if Nabi can swing the ball well there in England, as the climate in New Zealand for the Test series will need for him to do that in conducive conditions with the red Kookaburra ball in hand,” a source familiar with the development told IANS on Sunday.
The Indian team management and national selectors are keen on providing Nabi exposure to seamer-friendly conditions and the red Kookaburra ball, keeping in mind the upcoming Test tour of New Zealand.
Nabi was part of India’s recent 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka, but did not feature in any of the two matches. He is now set to join several Indian players currently plying their trade in the English domestic season.
Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who picked 16 wickets in Sri Lanka, is rejoining Warwickshire, while left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav will return to turn out for Yorkshire. Right now, Surrey has India leg-spinner Rahul Chahar and uncapped batting all-rounder Mahipal Lomror in their squad.
Once his county championship stint is over, Nabi is expected to link up with the India ‘A’ squad for two red-ball matches against Australia in Puducherry, starting from September 22.
It remains to be seen if he will join J&K for the Irani Cup clash against Rest of India in Srinagar from October 1 to 5, considering the second India ‘A’ game in Puducherry starts on September 29.
Meanwhile, IANS understands that there could be a possibility of India seamers Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar turning out in later stages of the county championship.
Both Shami and Mukesh are currently turning out for East Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy semi-final against defending champions Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) Ground 1 in Bengaluru. “The full details are yet to be known, but there’s a possibility they might play there,” added another source.
