Somerset sign Fakhar Zaman as a replacement for injured Corey Anderson

The latest news arriving from England is that county club, Somerset have signed dashing Pakistan batsman Fakhar Zaman as an overseas recruit to replace New Zealander Corey Anderson who has been ruled out after suffering a back injury. The all-rounder appeared in the T20 blast for Somerset four times. Fakhar, who is one of the emerging stars of Pakistan cricket, has been signed for the remainder of the season.

He made his ODI debut on June 7 this year against South Africa and has featured in four ODI for Pakistan thus far. However, his rise in international cricket has been very swift. He registered a century in the final of the Champions Trophy 2017 against India, which brought him into the limelight. In the four games that he played in the 50-overs tournament, he scored 252 runs, which made him a hero in the Pakistani cricket fraternity. He has also played four T20Is in which he has scored 73 runs.

While at Taunton, Zaman can play in both the T20 Blast and County Championship. “During his time here Corey has soldiered on bravely and managed his ongoing stress fracture well but now it needs immediate treatment,” director of cricket Matt Maynard was quoted as saying by BBC.

“It’s great to have Fakhar joining us and in addition we will have Dean Elgar back for the final three T20 Blast group stage games. However, Dean has to return to South Africa for a camp prior to the South Africa v Bangladesh series. As a result, he will play no further County Championship cricket for us,” he added.

The next big thing in Pakistan cricket

Playing for Somerset will be a huge benefit for the youngster who has already established himself in the national side after playing only four ODIs. Zaman is being hailed as the next big thing to look out for. The 27-year-old has always grabbed opportunities with both hands and thus he is expected to deliver the goods for Somerset as well.