India pacer Umesh Yadav has signed up with Middlesex for the remainder of the 2022 domestic season, the club announced on Monday (July 11). He will be available for the County Championship as well as the One-Day Cup.Middlesex said that the announcement of the 34-year-old's signing was delayed as confirmation of his visa was awaited among other formalities.Umesh replaces Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi as an overseas player at the club. Shaheen had earlier returned home ahead of his planned departure in order to spend time with family in the lead up to his national commitments.
"It was always our intention to have an overseas international bowler with us throughout the duration of the season, and since Shaheen returned to Pakistan prior to the start of our Blast campaign we've been looking for the right player to replace him," said Alan Coleman, Head of Men's Performance Cricket at Middlesex."Yadav is that man. He comes to us with a wealth of experience, he is a proven world-class performer, and can not only make a huge difference himself for the remainder of our Championship campaign and to our prospects in the Royal London Cup but will also be a fantastic role model for our younger bowlers to work alongside."As a bowler he offers a huge amount. He delivers the ball from wide of the crease, can move the ball both ways, regularly tops 140 kph, and possesses a vicious short ball, so will be a real handful for opposition batters in English conditions."We are delighted to welcome Umesh to Middlesex and wish him every success during his stay with the Club."
