WCCC sign Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar

[Zainub]

From the Official WCCC Website:>: Worcestershire County Cricket Club has announced the signing of Shoaib Akhtar as one of their overseas players for the 2005 season subject to clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board. Akhtar is currently fourth in the PriceWaterhouseCoopers Test Match rankings and will be available to the County from the 1st July. Director of Cricket, Tom Moody, believes the signing is an important step in the Club’s efforts to gain promotion back to Division One of the Frizzell County Championship. He says “Shoaib is a world class strike bowler in both forms of the game and he will spearhead our drive for success in the latter half of the season. His experience of County Cricket can only be an advantage to us at New Road. He creates a huge buzz wherever he bowls and I have no doubt Shoaib will be a popular member of the squad both on and off the field.” Shoaib says “I love playing county cricket in England and I’m really looking forward to helping Worcestershire get straight back into Division 1 of the Championship and challenge for honours in the one-day game. I’ll be rested and raring to go when I start in July and, from looking at the players Worcester have in their side, confident we’ll have a successful season”.

I'm wondering what Woecestershire fans are making of this signing? From Pakistan's perspective I can tell you that we play a lot of cricket coming in the next few months, right up to the start of the season in England: a long tour of Australia followed by a highly anticipated tour of India. And then a tour to the Carribean. Shoaib will be doing a lot of bowling in that time. There is a chance he might be a little tired initially going into the season but from all that I have heard about the surface at New Road I have no doubt that Shoaib will enjoy bowling there. I've never minded our players going to play cricket abroad when we are not playing cricket as long as they make sure they don't get themselves injuried too seriously, and generally take good care of them selves. If Shoaib has a successful season, which I hope he does, it will raise his confidence, and that can only be a good thing for Pakistan

[Rachael]

Neither side loses with this deal: the club gets a player with real potential... and the player gets a season of county cricket that presents him with a great opportunity to improve as a bowler.. plus the Pakistan board and coach should be happy to have the player in county cricket.. and the ECB will surely be happy that their domestic scene is being lifted by such a big name star.

Would have been nice to see him carry on at Durham and bowl in tandem with Harmison though :-)

[Zainub]

Harmsion at Durham, nice joke! When was the last time he played for his county?

[Teatime FatCat]

Shoaib's a showpony and more injured than not. Don't think he'll do much in county cricket and will be worn down v quickly by the grind. Might be a hadful in the one-dayers.

Don't like him much as a player, but don't know why as it's completely irrational and unfair, but then again I'm having a bad day. That Brett Lee's a load of cobblers too! Give me Mark Ealham or Ronnie Irani any day!

[Zainub]

Hmm...interesting you have mentioned Brett Lee here.

I don't think there is any need for comparision between the two, at this point in time their only similarity is their pace, other wise they are 2 very different bowlers, one is in a position where he can't find a place in his team, the other is in a position where any one can't possibly find any reason for him to not be in his team, one is blond, part time singer, part time designer, the other well, he's a part time flert to sum it up in one word. I'd not exchange Shoaib Akhtar with any bowler in the world righ now though, just because I think he is symbol for us, you know, an iconic figure as it were, who dose a lot to the team morale by just being there, sometimes even when he is not performing, his being in the team makes a difference, perhaps some thing on the lines of the affect Tendulkar creates on the Indian team, not as big obviously, but some thing on those lines surely. I can bet that half of the young lads that play cricket tape cricket in my street, bowling with really, really suspect actions, when asked what they want to do will mention him some where in their ambitions.

[Andy Mellon]

Yeah, but he's not Waqar or Wasim either! If I was a batsman, I'd rather face Shoaib than Wasim or Waqar as Shoaib occasionally has off days. Waqar and Wasim didn't!