Middlesex sign Umesh Yadav for remainder of season

The 34-year-old bowler, who replaces Shaheen Shah Afridi, is available for both County Championship and Royal London Cup fixtures

Middlesex have signed India international Umesh Yadav for the remainder of the 2022 season.

The fast bowler will represent Middlesex in both first-class and List A cricket and will make his debut against Worcestershire in the LV= Insurance County Championship this week following confirmation of his visa.

He replaces Shaheen Shah Afridi, who left Middlesex earlier this year to play for Pakistan.

Yadav has extensive international experience with India, having featured in 52 Tests, 77 ODIs and seven T20I matches since his debut in 2010. The 34-year-old has 273 wickets across all formats for his country, including a ten-wicket match in Test cricket.

^{Umesh Yadav has represented India in all three formats [Robert Cianflone/Getty Images]}

Yadav, who has taken more than 650 wickets in his career, regularly bowls at speeds of more than 85mph, with an exceptional grasp of line and length and a tricky bouncer – three skills that should serve him well in England.

Alan Coleman, Middlesex's head of men's cricket performance, said: "It was always our intention to have an overseas international bowler with us throughout the duration of the season, and since Shaheen returned to Pakistan prior to the start of our Blast campaign we’ve been looking for the right player to replace him.

"Yadav is that man. He comes to us with a wealth of experience, he is a proven world-class performer, and can not only make a huge difference himself for the remainder of our Championship campaign and to our prospects in the Royal London Cup but will also be a fantastic role model for our younger bowlers to work alongside.

"As a bowler he offers a huge amount. He delivers the ball from wide of the crease, can move the ball both ways, regularly tops 140 kph, and possesses a vicious short ball, so will be a real handful for opposition batters in English conditions.

"We are delighted to welcome Umesh to Middlesex and wish him every success during his stay with the club."