Ishant Sharma to play County Championship for Sussex

Ishant Sharma is set to play for Sussex in the upcoming County Championship 2018. The club signed Ishant for a tenure from April 4 to June 4. Ishant, in this process, will be in contention to play the first 5 county games. In addition, Ishant will be available to take part in 8 of Sussex Sharks' Royal London ODI matches in the group stages. Ishant is set to become the fourth Indian Test cricketer to feature for Sussex, after MAK Pataudi, Eknath Solkar and Piyush Chawla. KS Ranjitsinhji and Duleepsinhji, both of Indian origin who have played for England, had also played for Sussex.

On the development, Ishant stated: "It's a great honour to represent Sussex CCC, the oldest first-class county, and I am looking forward with excitement to my maiden stint in county cricket. I would like to extend a special thanks to Sussex for taking note of my ongoing performances and deeming me suitable for this opportunity. I hope to add value during my time as part of the Sussex family this season."

Sussex's director of cricket Keith Greenfield added: "Securing Ishant's services has been very important for us. Once Jofra [Archer] and CJ [Chris Jordan] were picked up in the IPL draft, it became crucial to sign an experienced international-quality seam bowler who could provide valuable support and know-how to the rest of the seamers. Ishant has the attributes to be very successful in early season English conditions and a great role model. He fits the bill perfectly and we look forward to welcoming him to Sussex Cricket."