Surrey bring in Rao

Pakistan paceman moves to the Oval to cover for Indian spinner

Last updated: 9th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Surrey bring in Rao

Rao: New Surrey signing

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Surrey have signed Pakistan seamer Rao Iftikhar Anjum for the early part of the new season to cover for Piyush Chawla's absence.

Indian leg-spinner Shawla will be playing in the Indian Premier League with Kings XI Punjab at the start of the County season, but his place will be covered by Rao.

The 29-year-old will be available for Surrey's first three LV= County Championship matches of the summer, while Chawla is away in the IPL.

Surrey's professional cricket manager Chris Adams said: "Signing someone with the experience and proven wicket-taking abilities of Rao Iftikhar will allow us to add a bit of quality to the squad and is very much in line with the signings that we have already made since the end of the 2009 season.

"Along with his impressive stats, I believe Rao is the type of bowler who will perform well in English conditions - and with Pakistan touring later in the year, he has a terrific opportunity to lay down a marker for selection.

"He can swing the ball well, has a very repeatable action and consistently bowls in the mid to high eighties. We look forward to his arrival."

Rao Iftikhar is hoping to make the most of his chance to uphold the tradition of high-profile Pakistani bowlers - such as Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq, Azhar Mahmood and Intikhab Alam - who have made such an impact over the years at The Oval.

"Playing for an English county has long been an ambition of mine, and am I very much looking forward to joining Surrey in the coming weeks," he said.

"Some of the greatest Pakistani bowlers of recent times have played for Surrey and I am honoured to be following in their footsteps."