Pakistan's decision to recall Hassan, coupled with injuries to Chris Rushworth, Liam Norwell, Michael Booth and Craig Miles, have left the Edgbaston club seeking alternative options
Warwickshire have been forced to call for reinforcements after a glut of injuries and absences from their seam bowling stocks.
The club have signed Michael Rae, a New Zealander with a relatively modest record, on a short-term contract and expect him to make his debut in the County Championship match at Essex starting on Friday (May 17).
While Rae stands at 6ft 6ins, does have some pace and has played for New Zealand A, his signing might reflect Warwickshire's desperation for some seam bowling support.
Chris Rushworth, Liam Norwell, Michael Booth (classed as overseas while he serves a qualification period), Aamir Jamal and Craig Miles – who twisted his ankle at Surrey – are missing through injury. And Hassan Ali, the Pakistan seamer, was somewhat surprisingly recalled by his country ahead of the T20 World Cup.
They are currently without a victory in the Championship having struggled to make inroads into opposition batting line-ups on flat wickets. But whether Rae is the answer remains to be seen.
Warwickshire saw Hassan Ali's second season cut short by a Pakistan recall (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
In a first-class career which stretches back to 2014, Rae has claimed 156 wickets at an average of 33.35 with two five-wicket hauls, the most recent of which came in March 2021. He averages under 10 with the bat and last played for New Zealand A in 2020.
His signing would appear to have the influence of Gavin Larsen, the New Zealander who is director of cricket at Warwickshire, all over it and might also underline the difficulty in recruiting quality overseas players in this day and age.
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The club can probably consider themselves somewhat unfortunate with their current predicament. But it might also raise some questions about their recruitment and development in recent times, too. Zaman Akhter, for example, spent several months training with the club and living in Birmingham but, when they failed to offer him a contract, joined Gloucestershire.
He is now starting to be name-checked as a potential England fast bowler and has one of the fastest average speeds of bowlers in county cricket. Given the lack of pace in the Warwickshire attack, such a signing might have proved wise.
It was also interesting to note Rob Key's somewhat backhanded reference to Warwickshire in a recent BBC interview.
Mark Robinson was a vocal critic of the Kookaburra experiment (David Rogers/Getty Images)
Key, the managing director of England men's cricket, made the point that Mark Robinson had been one of the more vocal critics of the Kookaburra ball experiment but that his bowling attack - medium-paced as it is - was one of those disproportionately affected by the change.
"Michael is a quality bowler with a proven first-class pedigree," Larsen said, somewhat generously. "He was with us for two days last week, joined the lads in training and impressed. He's a real character and integrated into the squad straight away.
"I've seen a lot of him back in New Zealand and he's been on the Blackcaps' selection radar for some time, having played with New Zealand A.
"He's a big guy, fiery, has good pace and is an excellent addition to our squad."
Joining the injury list is Jamal, the latest Warwickshire seamer to be sidelined through injury. He experienced discomfort in his back during his first two Championship games and a subsequent scan has revealed a minor injury which has ruled him out of the Essex game.
He must be considered a doubt for the Lancashire game that follows, too. Danny Briggs, the left-arm spinner, is also a concern with a finger injury.
The Warwickshire injury crisis has deepened (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
"Our seam bowling injury list is unprecedented," the head coach, Mark Robinson, said. "I've not been involved with a side that’s had so many injuries. And these are all bowlers that could come into the first team and make a difference.
"Aamir is the latest one. He'd been suffering with a sore back. The scan has revealed an injury, nothing significant but one that'll rule him out for a while. We suspected he wasn't at his best, he’s not been getting anywhere near the pace that both he and we know he can bowl.
"He was frightening the Aussie batters in the winter with his pace but he's not been at that level since joining us, which is frustrating for him.
"We’ll take a strong squad to Essex, and we've managed to bring in Michael Rae who we hope can make a bit of difference. He’s a very tall bowler, with lot of first-class experience and we’ve been lucky to tap into him quickly.
"Che Simmons also comes in the squad. He’s had a couple of good Second XI games recently and he's desperate for an opportunity. But we need to look at the wicket and see what it might offer our bowlers."
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