Pakistan’s opening batter, Imam-ul-Haq, is set to play for Yorkshire for the rest of the English domestic season. The 28-year-old, with three Test centuries and nine in ODIs, is available right away and is likely to play in Yorkshire’s upcoming County Championship game against Surrey at Scarborough.
Imam is taking the place of Indian batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had to drop out because of personal reasons. Imam has played in England before, for Somerset in 2022. Earlier this year, he helped Pakistan Television win the President’s Cup, which is Pakistan’s top domestic event. Yorkshire is hoping that his experience and good form will help their red-ball and 50-over games until the end of the season.
Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire’s general manager of cricket, said, “We’re happy to have Imam join us now. While we were disappointed that Ruturaj couldn’t join the team, Imam is a great player with proven international talent. He has a good record and knows domestic cricket here, which will help us with someimportant games. We appreciate how quickly he got here, and everyone at the club is eager to work with him until the season ends.”
Separately, Derbyshire has confirmed that Australian batter Caleb Jewell will be back at the club in 2026 after signing a new deal. Jewell has played very well in Division Two this season, scoring 821 runs at an average of 54.73, with a best of 232 against Kent.
Mickey Arthur, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, said, “Caleb has done very well in the first half of the season, even though he was getting used to new conditions, and we wanted to get a deal done quickly. He brings a lot of grit and determination to our team, which is exactly what you want from a foreign player.”
Jewell added: “I’ve enjoyed my time with Derbyshire so far, and I’m happy to have signed for next seasonalready. There’s a great group of players at this club; they’ve all made me feel welcome, and that’s shown on the field. Hopefully, we can have a good 50-over competition and then work hard to stay in the running for promotion.”