Sussex sign Pakistan's Shadab Khan for T20 Vitality Blast
Jan 17, 2023
Sussex [UK], January 17 : Sussex Cricket announced the signing of Pakistan international allrounder, Shadab Khan for the 2023 T20 Vitality Blast, on Tuesday.
Khan, who was appointed vice-captain for Pakistan's limited-over teams in 2021, will join the Sussex Sharks for the entirety of the Blast campaign.
The all-rounder who bowls eight-arm leg-spin has made 84 T20I appearances for Pakistan, taking 98 wickets, with best figures of 4-8.
Shadab made his T20I debut for Pakistan against the West Indies in 2017 and made his mark instantly, winning the Man of the Match awards in back-to-back games, taking a total of 7 wickets for 21 runs.
In his 38 T20I innings, Khan has scored 476 runs at a strike rate of 143.8 and a personal best score of 52.
Sussex' bowling coach James Kirtley, said, "Shadab will provide an amazing experience in our middle order, he is someone who has played all around the world and has experienced many situations, which can only benefit our team."
"He really does provide flexibility to our side as he can score runs and take wickets in crucial moments, but more than anything else he is an experienced head that Ravi can go to as captain to look for support when making crucial in-game decisions. I know that he will have a massive impact on our team this year," the coach was quoted as saying in a statement released by Sussex on its website.
Khan has already played 225 domestic T20 matches at the age of 24, accumulating 2088 runs at a strike rate of 136.91.
Having played for Yorkshire in the Blast last season, Khan is looking forward to emulating Mushtaq Ahmed in turning out for Sussex at the first Central County Ground.
"I love playing in England. I know Mushtaq Ahmed is a legend at Sussex and it is an honour to follow in his footsteps. Sussex has a proud history and I hope that my skillset will help the team achieve great things at the Blast this year," said the Pakistan all-rounder.
