Former Pakistani international all-rounder Yasir Arafat will play for the Canterbury Wizards in the HRV Cup this season.
Arafat joins other signings Brendon Diamanti and Mitchell Claydon on the playing roster for the Wizards this summer, although unlike Claydon and Diamanti he will be available purely for the HRV Cup.
Arafat's seam and swing bowling is his stronger suit, and in the Twenty20 format he is the fourth-highest wicket taker of all time with 122 victims at an average of 22.74. He also has a handy record in both the first-class game, in which he averages 24.25, and in limited-overs cricket, in which he has taken 334 wickets at 25.04 with the ball.
Arafat will arrive here after a season playing for Surrey in England. He is also very capable with the bat having scored five first class centuries and capable of big hitting towards the end of a Twenty20 innings. It is this complete aspect to his game that Wizards coach Bob Carter is keen on.
‘We’re delighted to get Yasir and I think he’ll be great for us. He will bring a real balance to the side with his all-round game I think, something that will be very useful in Twenty20 cricket.’
Carter is also aware of the vast amount of experience the 29 year old has at every level, having scored 6309 first class runs and 1,232 wickets in his career. ‘We were after a bowling all rounder to complement our batting strength and his all round skills will be very valuable for us. He’s an explosive player capable of doing some special things with the ball and bat and we’re hoping that he can add to the environment we’ve already created.’
