Senior India pacer Umesh Yadav will play for Middlesex for the remainder of the English County season replacing Pakistan speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi.
The 34-year-old pacer has represented India in 52 Tests, 77 ODIS, and 7 T20Is and has scalped 273 international wickets across all formats.
Shaheen Shah Afridi joins national team
The county club sought Umesh's services as Afridi has returned home to join his national team for the tour of Sri Lanka. "Middlesex Cricket is delighted to announce that Indian international quick bowler Umesh Kumar Yadav has signed terms with the Club and will join for the remainder of the 2022 season," the club said in a statement.
"This morning the Club received this confirmation, and confirmation that he is registered with the ECB, and Yadav has, as a result, now been named as an addition to Middlesex's squad for this weeks' game." Middlesex further announced that Umesh will be available to represent the club in both County Championship and Royal London Cup campaigns for the rest of the season.
'Proven world-class performer'
"He (Umesh) 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," said Alex Coleman, Middlesex' Head of Men's Performance Cricket.
"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," Coleman added.
Umesh is also the latest Indian to join veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara, and all-rounders Washington Sundar and Krunal Pandya in County cricket.
While Pujara plays for Sussex, Sundar and Krunal have signed for Lancashire and Warwickshire respectively.
