Pakistan's star wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan will turn out for Sussex County Cricket Club during this year's English summer till mid-July alongside Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara. The side will play in two competitions - the County Championship and the T20 event (Vitality Blast), and the two batters are expected to take the field together in the red-ball competition.
Pujara's dip in form has pushed him out of India's Test squad, and the veteran is expected to play a majority of the English season in the County Championship Division Two as well as the Royal London One-Day Cup.
The 34-year-old, who is out of India's Test side due to lack of form, missed the first game against Nottinghamshire due to visa issues. “Securing overseas players has been tremendously difficult in the current climate. We renegotiated the initial Pujara contract so he could return for more County Championship and Royal London Cup matches, and this subsequently changed the visa requirements,” Sussex Performance Director, Keith Greenfield said in the statement.
Pujara, who was dropped from India’s Test series against Sri Lanka, was due to play Sussex’s first six County Championship games before returning later for the Royal London Cup and a few additional four-day games. Following the development of his visa issues, Sussex expects Pujara, who also has been demoted from BCCI’s central contract list, to be available for their second game against Derbyshire, which starts on Thursday (April 14).
Meanwhile, Rizwan's signing was announced by the county side in mid-December and the 29-year-old joined the team after Pakistan's 1-0 Test series loss to Australia at home. He is slated to play in both the Championship Division two and the T20 cricket until the end of the Vitality Blast in mid-July.
Given the heated rivalry between India and Pakistan on and off the pitch, it will be a perfect sight to watch the two top players from both the neighbouring teams play together in the IX, with the chance to bat together as well. Both have been world-class batters when in form, and fans can expect them to forge partnerships together in future matches.
Sussex kicked off their campaign with a 10-wicket loss against Nottinghamshire and will hope for a turn-around in their second game against Derbyshire.
