Raheem Ahmed, elder brother of England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed, is on a 20-day trial with county champions Nottinghamshire as he bids to win a full-time contract after years of stress fracture heartache.
Left-arm seamer Ahmed, 22, has endured a number of seasons of disruption resulting from recurring again points, however is hoping to comply with brothers Rehan, England’s youngest full worldwide throughout all three codecs, and Farhan, the 18-year-old England Lions off-spinner, into the skilled ranks.
Raheem emerged from Leicestershire’s academy and has been practising with Nottinghamshire’s 2nd XI at their Girl Bay coaching base over the primary month of the season, that includes in a pleasant in opposition to Derbyshire’s second group alongside Farhan.
He has frolicked inside the Notts setup earlier than, most just lately final September, however Raheem being positioned on a day charge for this three-week stint suggests one thing extra everlasting could possibly be on the playing cards. Counties are allowed to ask trialists for as much as 5 days with out pay, however remuneration is required for longer stays below rules backed by the Skilled Cricketers’ Affiliation.
It was a childhood dream for the three brothers to characteristic alongside one another for England, and so they took to the sector collectively for Cavaliers and Carrington in a Nottinghamshire Premier League win over Cuckney, earlier than Rehan departed the early levels of Leicestershire’s County Championship marketing campaign for a primary IPL gig with Delhi Capitals.
Though the opposite two siblings went wicketless, Raheem bagged two for 37 from his eight overs. Because of per week of IPL overlap, Rehan can even be absent for the beginning of Leicestershire’s Vitality Blast marketing campaign.
Raheem Ahmed in motion for Leicestershire’s 2nd XI in 2021 – he’s now on a 20-day trial with Nottinghamshire
Farhan, the youngest of the Ahmed brothers, is already at Nottinghamshire and shining for the England Lions
Rehan, the center brother, is England’s youngest ever participant in all three codecs
Foxes snap up Kiwi captain
Three-time Blast winners Leicestershire will likely be boosted by the arrival of Nick Kelly, New Zealand’s latest Twenty20 captain.
Tom Latham’s broken toe signifies that Kelly, 32, is at the moment main the New Zealanders in a three-match collection in Bangladesh, putting 39 on his captaincy debut on Monday, a six-wicket defeat in Chattogram. He struck back-to-back half-centuries to shut out the 50-over collection, which the Black Caps misplaced 2-1.
Leicestershire sought an skilled batsman to interchange Shan Masood, who went and not using a 50 in 13 appearances for the membership final 12 months and Kelly will slot into the highest six alongside one other new arrival in Australian Ashton Turner, a serial winner of the Large Bash League with Perth Scorchers who has been lured from Lancashire.
Turner averaged an underwhelming 20 with the bat for final 12 months’s north group winners, and was unavailable for finals day after being recalled by Western Australia. Nonetheless, he was concerned in his fifth title win with Perth earlier this 12 months and beforehand spent a number of seasons with Durham.
Nick Kelly is standing in as New Zealand T20 captain and can be part of Leicestershire this summer time for the Blast
Yorkshire eye Pakistan duo for Blast
Up the M1, the absence of an Australian from this 12 months’s competitors has sparked a scramble for luckless Yorkshire: they’re anticipated to signal an all-rounder at the moment concerned within the Pakistan Tremendous League after Will Sutherland pulled out of his return to the membership this summer time.
Yorkshire made a concerted effort to strengthen for the Blast final winter, snapping up Moeen Ali, in addition to skilled short-form specialist AJ Tye as an area participant and figuring out Sutherland and Afghanistan bowler Naveen-ul-Haq as their two imports.
Nonetheless, the latter pair succumbed to harm inside a month of the competitors beginning and Yorkshire are anticipated to comply with final week’s seize of Hasan Ali – surprisingly not retained by Warwickshire regardless of averaging greater than two wickets an look final summer time – with the signing of one other Pakistan worldwide.
Faheem Ashraf, again in favour at worldwide stage and a participant that fetched £670,000, the second-highest value at this 12 months’s PSL public sale, gives one choice, whereas Mohammad Wasim is one other that would match the invoice.
The membership’s dedication to win a primary Blast crown might but be hit on the again finish of the match, although, with Pakistan embarking on a Check tour of the Caribbean that will rule these chosen out of the semi-finals and closing at Edgbaston on July 18.
Mohammad Nawaz had been granted a No Objection Certificates by the Pakistan board to play within the Blast, and was anticipated to signal for Surrey, however the spin bowling all-rounder is now not accessible after changing into the topic of an ICC anti-doping course of for leisure drug use.
Fellow left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin has additionally had his return to the competitors blocked by a 3rd celebration. Fortuin, 31, was a runner-up with Hampshire final 12 months, however was recognized by Warwickshire as a like-for-like substitute for Danny Briggs this summer time.
Nonetheless, it’s understood that Cricket South Africa won’t difficulty a NOC as a result of they want the 43-cap Proteas worldwide to be concerned in an A-team camp.
Faheem Ashraf might fill the void left at Yorkshire after they have been hit with a double blow to their abroad recruitment
Mohammad Wasim, who has 87 worldwide wickets, is an alternative choice for Yorkshire
Floundering Kent strengthen bowling assault
The County Championship’s backside membership Kent are bolstering their bowling shares forward of Derbyshire’s go to to Canterbury on Friday by taking Surrey’s James Taylor on mortgage.
Twenty-five-year-old Taylor – youthful brother of Worcestershire’s Tom Taylor, probably the most prolific bowler throughout each divisions of the 2025 Championship – claimed two wickets in Surrey’s opening-round draw with Warwickshire, however has not featured since.
Winless Kent’s want for firepower is stark: they conceded 684 for 2 in opposition to Northamptonshire of their second match of the season and misplaced by an innings after Worcestershire posted 447 at New Street final week.
James Taylor (left) is on his option to Kent on mortgage to attempt to rescue their County Championship marketing campaign
It is all about to kick off
With counties already occupied with their squads for 2027, dozens of gamers are at the moment speaking over their futures forward of June 1 – the date when free brokers are permitted to speak to potential employers.
Ben McKinney, the 6ft 7in Durham opener on England’s radar for June’s Check collection in opposition to New Zealand, is amongst these to have dedicated to their present golf equipment, signing a two-year deal on the Riverside.
Being within the final 12 months of a contract brings uncertainty and that is very true for these at Sussex, a membership prevented from renewing offers due to penalties imposed by the ECB for monetary mismanagement.
Tom Clark, a kind of quickly to be on the open market, adopted 100 within the first innings of the season in opposition to Leicestershire with 93 off Yorkshire’s assault at Headingley on Monday.
