Fakhar Zaman sacrifices CPL contract to play for Somerset in NatWest T20 Blast

It all began with the Champions Trophy 2017. Pakistan was handed a drubbing in their opening encounter by their arch- rivals India. Opener Ahmed Shehzad was dropped for the team for his poor performance for the game. Since this decision, the garden of fortune of Pakistan cricket and Fakhar Zaman has only seen cherry blossoms. The same Pakistani team which offered no resilience in the first game, went on to thrash the Men in Blue in the final.

While writing about their major turnaround, the first name that comes to mind is that of Zaman. When Mickey Arthur gave him the opportunity, the left-hander showed the world what he is capable of. He grabbed the entire share of the limelight in the final game against India, where he scored a brilliant hundred. Capitalizing on his knock, Pakistan scored a monstrous total which was too big for the batting heavy Indians to chase.

Since then, it has only been a merry ride for the 27-year-old Mardan born player. Recently, he received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to participate in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Now, he has signed for Somerset to feature in the Natwest T20 Blast. Somerset is currently holding the third position in the South Group. Captained by Jim Allenby, the squad boasts of famous players like Corey Anderson, Peter Trego and Roelof van der Merwe.

Zaman will have to sacrifice his CPL contract

According to the reports, Zaman will stay in England with the Somerset team for four weeks. The fifth edition of CPL starts from 4th of August and he had to choose one. As it seems, Zaman has his priorities sorted and he has decided to play in the Natwest T20 Blast and is ready to sacrifice a stint with a Windian T20 league. The PCB has given him the NOC to join Somerset.