Aaron Summers becomes first Australian to sign up as overseas player in Pakistan domestic cricket

The 24-year-old will play for Southern Punjab almost two years after representing Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League

Australian fast bowler Aaron Summers will make history by becoming the first Australian to play in Pakistan’s domestic one-day tournament.

The 24-year-old will play for Southern Punjab almost two years after representing Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League.

It was the zenith of Summers’ curious career to date: he has played just once in the Big Bash for Hobart Hurricanes – in 2017 – and has made just three List A appearances.

However, he carries undoubted pace – the benefit of a slingshot action and a childhood spent honing his power by playing softball and Australian rules football.

Speaking to The Cricketer in February, he reflected on his fascination for raw pace; he grew up admiring Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and Brett Lee, before making his Big Bash debut in a Hobart side also featuring Tymal Mills and Jofra Archer. Of the trio, Summers was fastest.

The game was his television debut; in the history of the sport, no one has bowled quicker in their televised appearance.

“I think one of the things with Johnson and Tait is that because they were inconsistent as well, it was more enjoyable to watch because you never knew what you were going to get,” he told The Cricketer.

Fast, fearless and frustrated: The stunted rise of Aaron Summers

“I know I’ve got a desirable talent: I’m one of the quickest blokes going around the world. That’s what I like to do. I get paid to do it. I bowl quick. That’s my point of difference.

“I’ve only been clocked three times. It’s a bit annoying – there are a few blokes who, every time they play cricket, it’s on TV. So, you get their good days and their bad. With me, I’ve only had three opportunities, so I reckon there’s been a lot of times that I’ve bowled at club level or the level below being televised where I feel like I’ve bowled quicker.

“I would have bowled a couple of thousand times in training and games, and only three times it’s been clocked on TV. It’s annoying to think of what my quickest actually was.”

This season’s one-day competition begins on January 8 in Pakistan, running until the end of the month. Summers has received special exemption from the Australian government to travel to Pakistan, with his country’s borders closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Overseas players in Pakistani cricket have been few and far between but are not unheard-of: Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi are two who have broken the mould in the past.

During Summers’ brief PSL stint in 2019, he bowled at the death against AB de Villiers, conceding just 25 runs in his four overs. He might have fared better in the tournament, having been earmarked by Quetta Gladiators as a player they wanted to pick up at the draft. But after being snapped up somewhat out of the blue by Karachi Kings, he played just twice.

Earlier this year, he represented South Australia in second team cricket.

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