Hampshire have moved quickly to enlist South African seamer Codi Yusuf for the opening rounds of the County Championship after West Indies quick Jayden Seales was refused a No-Objection Certificate by his home board.
Yusuf, 27, has two Test caps and one ODI to his name, plus a solid stint with Durham last summer that produced 24 first-class wickets at a shade under 27. The left-armer’s overall red-ball record stands at 131 wickets at 28.22, numbers that convinced Hampshire he could slot straight into their attack.
The signing reunites Yusuf with Russell Domingo, Hampshire’s new head coach and still in charge of the Lions franchise back in Johannesburg. There is also a corporate thread: Yusuf turns out for Pretoria Capitals in the SA20, a side owned by GMR, majority shareholders at the Ageas Bowl.
“Naturally, it is disappointing not to have Jayden with us, but we are pleased to have secured an excellent replacement in Codi Yusuf,” Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, said. “Codi, who plays for the Lions, comes highly recommended by Russell and brings valuable international experience, as well as familiarity with English conditions following his spell with Durham last season.”
“The past couple of weeks have been frustrating as we have had to adjust our plans at short notice, but we are delighted to welcome Codi and look forward to his arrival.”
The county had first lined up Michael Neser, only for Cricket Australia to cancel that deal after restoring the seamer to a central contract. With Seales then blocked, White’s recruitment board worked the phones again and, 48 hours later, settled on Yusuf.
Hampshire hope the left-armer’s ability to swing the new ball and reverse the old will complement their established core of Kyle Abbott, Keith Barker and Mohammad Abbas. Yusuf should be available for at least the first six Championship games, pending any Proteas call-ups.
