Worcestershire sign Pakistan international Usama Mir on short-term T20 contract

Mir will be available for the Rapids' first three matches as cover for Mitchell Santner

Pakistan international Usama Mir has joined Worcestershire on a short-term T20 contract.

Mir will be available for the Rapids' first three Blast matches as cover for Mitchell Santner, whose Chennai Super Kings side are on course to qualify for IPL knockout stages.

The 27-year-old leg-spinner has taken 71 wickets in 78 T20 outings across his career, impressing in the 2023 Pakistan Super League with 17 wickets at an economy of 7.93 for Multan Sultans – Rashid Khan was the only spinner to finish higher in the wicket-taking charts.

^{Mitchell Santner is involved in the IPL [R Satish Babu/Getty Images]}

^{Mir picked up 17 wickets in the 2023 PSL [Farooq Naeem/Getty Images]}

Mir has previously earned overseas contracts in the CPL and Bangladesh Premier League while in January 2023 he made his ODI debut for Pakistan. He has since earned six caps in the format, taking 10 wickets.

Worcestershire cricket steering group chair, Paul Pridgeon, said: "We have signed Usama Mir for the first three games of the Blast following Mitchell Santner's side reaching the knockout stages of the IPL.

"He is a leg-spinner who bats a bit, and he is already the country. He is playing club cricket for Colwyn Bay and got 140-odd for them on Saturday.

"He has played the last six ODIs for Pakistan and made a good impression, and he has also had a good impact in the most recent Pakistan Super League, which is a good pedigree.

"We hope that Usama can help us get off to a good start in the Blast before Mitchell joins us for the rest of the competition."