Worcestershire have turned the page on Ben Dwarshuis and invited Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza to fill the overseas slot for the entire Vitality Blast season. It is not the straight swap they first wanted, yet the county are content – even quietly excited – to bank on spin rather than pace in what they hope is a return to Finals Day after seven lean years.
Dwarshuis, the useful left-arm seamer who grabbed 18 wickets last summer, was all set for another stint at New Road. Then Cricket Australia told him to pull out once Punjab Kings picked him up at the IPL auction. No wriggle room there, so Worcestershire moved quickly.
Raza, 39 in April, bowls the sort of “mystery” off-spin that ties hitters down and bats with intent in the middle order. He joins Pakistani leggie Usama Mir – already on a multi-year deal – and former England Under-19s left-armer Fateh Singh in what is, on paper at least, a three-pronged spin group that should enjoy early-season surfaces at Worcester.
“I am delighted to be joining Worcestershire Rapids this summer and to be playing in a T20 competition that I really enjoy,” Raza said. “I have loved my time in England whenever I have played there previously, so I can’t wait to get started this summer and link up with the squad.”
Head coach Alan Richardson did not hide his relief at finding a proven all-rounder so late in the winter. “Sikandar’s stats in T20 cricket speak for themself and as a side who want to kick on in the Vitality Blast and challenge for the trophy, we know the importance of having real quality in key areas,” he noted. “With Ben [Dwarshuis] unable to join us, we wanted to make sure that we had someone with international pedigree and who can impact the game in all three facets, so we were very keen to get Sikandar on board as soon as we knew he was available.”
Raza’s only previous Blast experience came with Northamptonshire two summers ago, a modest return that coincided with a more eye-catching Hundred spell at Manchester Originals. Since then he has become a staple of the global T20 circuit – a handy trait when Worcestershire’s recent white-ball record reads: champions in 2018, runners-up in 2019, and one quarter-final in six attempts thereafter.
Elsewhere in the Midlands, Leicestershire’s own overseas calculations required late arithmetic. South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj, initially booked for a full season, was blocked by Cricket South Africa workload directives. In came New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel on an all-format deal, an arguably neat fit for Grace Road conditions.
Down in Canterbury, Kent confirmed Australian seamer Tom Rogers will be back for a third straight Blast campaign. Rogers has not bowled a ball since a shoulder injury at Hove last July but is expected to be fully fit by May. He joins South Africans Keith Dudgeon and Senuran Muthusamy in a three-into-two overseas squeeze. Kent supporters also learnt that England opener Zak Crawley has signed another rolling one-year county contract, mirroring his England central deal, which is due to run out in October.
Early February is too soon to predict how all this will shake out come high summer, yet one theme is clear: spin, availability permitting, is fast becoming currency no club can ignore.
