Derbyshire name Muhammad Abbas in squad for final two Championship matches

NORTHAMPTON: Derbyshire have named a 14-player squad for their Rothesay County Championship fixture against Northamptonshire at The County Ground, starting on Tuesday.

Pakistan pacer Muhammad Abbas returns to the Derbyshire squad for the final two matches of the season after being named Player of the Series in Pakistan’s recent Test series against England.

Abbas’ return strengthens an already in-form Derbyshire bowling attack. Ben Aitchison passed 50 County Championship wickets for the season during the victory over Kent, while Brett Randell and Martin Andersson also played key roles with the ball.

Andersson, meanwhile, struck his third red-ball century of the summer last week, taking his tally to 800 runs for the season with two matches remaining.

Abbas featured in five matches for Derbyshire earlier this summer, taking 11 wickets before joining Pakistan’s squad for their three-Test series against England.

Despite Pakistan suffering a 3-0 series defeat, Abbas spearheaded their bowling attack and was named Player of the Series after taking 13 wickets, including a five-wicket haul at Lord’s.

Derbyshire head coach Mickey Arthur confirmed Abbas’ return for the final two matches and expressed his excitement at the prospect of fielding a strengthened bowling attack.

“I am really excited. My mouth waters as to the attack we could be putting out,” Arthur said.

“Mohammad Abbas, when I asked him about the last two games, he was straight in, which is testament to his commitment to us as a county,” he added.

Arthur also reflected on Derbyshire’s frustrating results this season but believes their victory over Kent can provide momentum heading into the final stages of the Championship.

“This season we have lost games that we should have won, which has been frustrating, but we are getting there,” he said.

“We are incredibly ambitious as a squad and as players, and the win over Kent will go a long way in building the confidence for us to nail those big moments,” Arthur added.

Derbyshire currently sit fifth in the Championship standings, having won four and lost six of their 12 matches. They hold a two-point advantage over third-placed Kent.

They will conclude their campaign by hosting bottom-placed Gloucestershire on September 24, while Northamptonshire will travel to Lord’s to face Middlesex.

Derbyshire squad: Wayne Madsen (c), Brett Randell, Harry Came, Martin Andersson, Luis Reece, Shoaib Bashir, Ben Aitchison, Jack Morley, Matthew Montgomery, Yousaf Bin Naeem, Nick Potts, Brooke Guest (wk), Muhammad Abbas and Amrit Basra.