MELBOURNE: Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Usman Khan Shinwari has been signed by Big Bash League for the next edition of Australia’s popular T20 tournament.
24-years-old fast bowler will play the first seven games before English bowler Harry Gurney replaces him for the rest of the tournament, Renegades said in a press release.
Renegades’ management took it to twitter to make the announcement official:
SIGNED| Two big additions to our squad for BBL|08.
Welcome Usman Khan Shinwari and @gurneyhf!
More: https://t.co/1EluUNIBjm#GETONRED pic.twitter.com/3OiBJBMavn
— Melbourne Renegades (@RenegadesBBL) November 7, 2018
“I have watched the Big Bash with interest in recent years and I’ve been impressed with the quality of the competition,” Shinwari said.
“I’m hoping I can bring something different to the team with my bowling and help the Renegades push for success,” he further added.
Shinwari, who made his international debut against Sri Lanka in 2013 in a T20 game, played his most recent fixture of the said format against New Zealand on November 4, 2018.
Renegades Coach Andrew McDonald believes that “the signings of Shinwari and Gurney will balance out the playing list.”
“We wanted to add in a left arm seam option to provide some added variation to our attack and Harry and Usman will certainly provide that,” said McDonald.
“They’ll complement our bowling unit really well and give us plenty of options throughout the innings.”
The Big Bash’s eighth season will kick off on December 19 and run until February 17, 2019.