Glamorgan have moved quickly to shore up their white-ball bowling, confirming Afghanistan left-armer Fazalhaq Farooqi for this summer’s Vitality Blast. The 23-year-old becomes Glamorgan’s first Afghan overseas signing, although supporters will recall his earlier stints with Nottinghamshire and the Manchester Originals in The Hundred.
Farooqi arrives with tidy numbers behind him. Joint-leading wicket-taker at the 2024 T20 World Cup and fresh from a solid winter for MI Emirates in the ILT20, he fits the brief: early-innings swing, reliable yorkers at the death, and a knack for prising out top-order batters before they settle.
“Fazalhaq comes with a growing reputation as one of the leading bowlers in T20 cricket,” director of cricket Mark Wallace said. “He will provide us with a high-quality wicket-taking threat with the new ball and some excellent death-bowling skills at the back end of the innings. We’re looking forward to welcoming our first Afghan overseas player to the Club.”
Glamorgan last reached Blast knockout week in 2017, so Wallace has spent the off-season adding proven short-format operators. Top-order batter Sean Dickson has arrived from Somerset, while Australian quick Nathan McAndrew is already pencilled in as the second overseas player once the red-ball blocks are finished.
There is red-ball planning, too. Earlier in the week the county confirmed New South Wales seamer Ryan Hadley for the opening six County Championship rounds, covering the gap left by James Harris’s retirement.
“We’ve been tracking Ryan’s progress on the Australian domestic circuit and feel his style of bowling will add an extra skillset to our attack at the start of the season,” Wallace added. “He’s coming off a good domestic season in Australia which has seen him break into the Australia A team and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to Sophia Gardens in the coming days.”
Promotion last September put Glamorgan back in Division One of the Championship for the first time since 2005. Farooqi’s deal is very much about the Blast, yet the broader theme is clear enough: deepen the squad, stay up in four-day cricket, and make a proper dent in the short form.
