Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Will Macpherson

Middlesex sign Jason Behrendorff for Vitality Blast campaign as Shaheen Afridi returns to Pakistan

Middlesex have announced that they will replace Shaheen Shah Afridi with Australian left-arm seamer Jason Behrendorff for the upcoming Vitality Blast.

Afridi's stint at the club ended recently when he headed back to Pakistan to rest and prepare for the upcoming series against West Indies.

Perth Scorchers' Behrendorff performed well for Australia at Lord's during the 2019 World Cup and is a like-for-like replacement for Afridi.

In addition, the club have also announced that Australian Chris Green will return to the club as a replacement for Mujeeb ur-Rahman, the Afghan spinner who will be back to play in the Blast.

Green will step in for a short time while Mujeeb is unavailable.

“With Shaheen heavily committed to international duty with Pakistan we needed to bring a quality seamer into the attack for our Blast campaign, and in Jason we have a left-arm seamer of proven international class,” said Middlesex’s Alan Coleman, Head of Men’s Performance Cricket.

“With Mujeeb also leaving on international duty, we were keen to ensure that we were covered in the spin department, and we all know what Greeny is capable of in the short form of the game. He fit in brilliantly last summer, and can play a match-winning role for us, so we’re really looking forward to welcoming him back into the dressing room.

“With more international cricket now being played it is becoming increasingly more difficult to secure the long-term availability of international players of the quality that you need over an extended period of time, and we are delighted that we’ve been able to secure players of the quality of Jason and Chris in the periods that we need them for. “

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.