Sunrisers Leeds head coach Daniel Vettori (Left) and Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed. — Reporter/Fb/@PakistanCricketBoard
LONDON: Sunrisers Leeds head coach Daniel Vettori has revealed that Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed’s wicket-taking means in any section of the sport was the important thing purpose behind his signing for the staff.
The Pakistan spinner was bought for £190,000 (round $255,000) by Sunrisers Leeds as they outbid Trent Rockets after a tense battle throughout The Hundred public sale held in London on Thursday.
“He gives us a number of opportunities to bowl throughout any phase of the game and he’s a wicket-taker — a proven wicket-taker,” Vettori stated.
“The fact that he has so many mystery balls and that a lot of English batsmen would not have seen him before puts us in good stead.”
Owned by Solar TV Community, the India-based media conglomerate, Sunrisers Leeds — additionally the sister franchise of Sunrisers Hyderabad within the IPL and Sunrisers Jap Cape in SA20 — bought the Yorkshire-based Hundred franchise, previously often called Northern Superchargers, final yr.
The group initially acquired a 49% stake from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) earlier than buying the remaining 51% from Yorkshire County Cricket Membership.
The choice to safe Abrar Ahmed was made after their first-choice spinner, England’s Adil Rashid, was picked by Southern Courageous earlier within the public sale.
“Adil Rashid was a priority for us, and when we missed out on him, we stepped into the overseas market for spinners. There were a number of very good bowlers in that set, and we decided that Abrar was the best option,” Vettori stated.
“I think we just had a number of options in that spin department. There were four or five players we were looking at and Abrar was one of them, so we’re very pleased to get him.”
The public sale got here beneath intense scrutiny after reviews in sections of the English media recommended that groups in The Hundred owned by IPL franchises may not decide Pakistani cricketers.
The reviews prompted the ECB and all eight franchises — together with 4 owned by IPL groups — to situation a joint assertion, reaffirming that the event would stay inclusive and open to gamers of all nationalities, with choices primarily based solely on efficiency and availability.
Responding to a query about signing a Pakistani participant, Vettori stated there had by no means been any dialogue inside the administration about avoiding gamers from Pakistan.
“We just planned for everyone who was in the auction. It wasn’t a discussion — it was simply about who the best option was,” he stated.
“The priority was to get a spin bowler and we didn’t think that quality was available in the local market, so we had to look overseas.”
“He [Abrar] has proven himself in franchise cricket as well as international cricket, so you just have to make a choice. Like I said, the track record of Abrar with his wicket-taking ability really appealed to us,” Vettori added.
Abrar Ahmed, 27, has taken 109 wickets in 84 T20 matches up to now. Identified for his variations, delicate modifications of tempo and talent to utilise situations, he has emerged as considered one of Pakistan’s frontline spin choices.
Suggestions from Australian gamers who confronted him within the three-match T20I collection in Pakistan shortly earlier than the T20 World Cup additionally contributed to his choice.
“He recently played in that series against Australia and feedback from the Australian guys was that he’s incredibly tricky to face,” Vettori stated.
“He’s got a lot of variations and the ability to strike in the powerplay and through the middle overs. That’s a key requirement at Headingley and having him there can make a big difference for us.”
Vettori additionally expressed hope that Abrar’s signing would entice robust assist from the native British-Pakistani group.
Sunrisers Leeds can be primarily based at Headingley, the house of Yorkshire County Cricket Membership, in a area with a big Pakistani and Kashmiri group, notably in Leeds and neighbouring Bradford, typically dubbed “mini-Pakistan”.
“We’re looking forward to a great season. We know there’s a big Pakistani community in the area and we’re excited about that in the upcoming season,” Vettori stated.
Sunrisers Leeds will tackle MI London within the opening match of this yr’s The Hundred on July 21 at The Oval.
