Huddersfield-born, Bradford-raised, Ajmal Shahzad made cricket history on May 23, 2004 when he became the first British-born Asian to play for Yorkshire. A right-arm fast bowler and useful late middle-order batsman, he won plaudits for his displays at schoolboy level and for Yorkshire's Academy. Graham Roope, his coach, said that he was "far too mature for most schoolboy opponents of his age, and he can bat very well in addition to being a fearsome bowler."

He endured a couple of slow seasons as injuries restricted his development, and he managed only a solitary appearance in 2006, but having finally allied consistency to his undoubted talent, and having been given a first-team chance following the promotion of Tim Bresnan to the national squad, he claimed 40 wickets and scored 445 runs for Yorkshire in their 2009 Championship campaign, and was subsequently named in England's Test squad for their tour to Bangladesh in February 2010, much to the player's own surprise.

The decisive factor in his call-up was an impressive stint with the England Performance Programme in South Africa a few months earlier, when he caught the eye of the senior management, including Andy Flower, with his pace, control and desire to succeed. With England opting to rest Stuart Broad for the home series against Bangladesh, Shahzad made his debut in the second Test at Old Trafford. "He looks like an impressive young man," said Flower, "and how well he does will be determined by himself."

That, though, marked a peak for Shahzad. Although he made occasional one-day international appearances - and was a reserve quick on the 2010-11 Ashes tour - he could not command a regular place in the side and drifted out of contention after the 2011 World Cup through a mixture of form and injury. Domestically, life also became difficult. He was released by Yorkshire - who cited issues with his team spirit - and was taken on loan by Lancashire for the rest of 2012 season. When Lancashire were relegated that summer he opted to move to Nottinghamshire in an attempt to revive his career.
Martin Williamson