Published: Jul 08, 2017, 12:25 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 08, 2017, 03:07 PM (IST)
Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal earned his call up for Essex, for the ongoing season of Natwest T20 Blast. He will play eight matches for the team, making his debut against Kent at Beckenham on Sunday. He will play as the second overseas player after Pakistan pacer Mohammad Aamer. Bangladesh’s most accomplished batsman across formats, Tamim helped his side reach their first ever ICC tournament semi-final in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, scoring 293 runs at 73.25 and emerging as the third-highest run-getter of the tournament. It is his form in this tournament which impressed the Essex selectors. READ: Jimmy Neesham signs up with Kent for T20 Blast
Chris Silverwood, head coach of Essex, told EspnCricinfo, “Tamim has shown how good a player he is in the recent Champions Trophy competition. As a batsman he is capable of being destructive and that is reflected in his career strike rate. We identified the opening berth as an area we wanted to strengthen and we are thrilled to get a player of Tamim’s calibre into the club. He will bolster the side for eight games and we look forward to his arrival.”
On his joining Essex, Tamim said, “I am really looking forward to linking up with my Essex team mates for the upcoming NatWest T20 Blast. I have played plenty of cricket with and against the likes of Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate and Ashar Zaidi, so I’m sure it will be an environment I will settle into quickly. I always enjoy playing cricket in England and hope to help Essex make a big impact in the competition.”
