Test captain Wasim in league with Smethwick (13 January 1999)

13 January 1999

Test captain Wasim in league with Smethwick

By Neil Hallam

A LEAGUE cricket club who usually attract around 100 spectators for home matches are celebrating landing Pakistan Test captain Wasim Akram as their overseas professional.

Smethwick, of the Birmingham Premier League, have lured the 33-year-old all-rounder for the new season. He is due to assume his duties when Pakistan's involvement in this summer's World Cup in England ends.

Wasim is the only international with 300 wickets in both one-day and Test matches. Last year was his benefit season at Lancashire, where he bowed out as captain after 10 years' service.

Smethwick, founded 150 years ago, have also signed former Warwickshire player Asif Din as captain. He has most recently been playing minor counties cricket with Shropshire.

An influential group of Derbyshire members are to summon an extraordinary meeting in an attempt to prevent captain Dominic Cork and leading batsman Kim Barnett from leaving the County Ground.

Barnett has already been told he can go, with two years of his contract to run, prompting an approach from Gloucestershire. Cork is threatening to resign the captaincy and demand his release in a long-running dispute over control of playing matters, a stance which has alerted Lancashire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.

The response has been a strengthening of members' support for Cork and chairman Vic Brownett, who has been trying in vain for four months to persuade the committee to back a captain who led them to a six-place improvement in the County Championship and a place in the Natwest Trophy final last summer.

Now former chairmen Chris Middleton and Guy Willatt, and former committee members Ian Samways, John Cater and Edward Wilkinson have joined forces in calling the EGM, at which a "vote of no confidence in the general committee" and "support for Mr Brownett's stand on the reorganisation of playing matters" will be proposed.

England A will come up against a strong side for the opening match of their Zimbabwe tour at Harare South on Saturday, writes Charles Randall.

Country Districts, made up of players born and bred outside the two main centres of Harare and Bulawayo, have seven players with Test experience in their 12, including Heath Streak, now one of the world's best seam bowlers.

COUNTY DISTRICTS 12 (v England A at Harare South, Saturday): G Rennie, R Craig, G Whittall, G Bruk-Jackson, C Evans, *A Waller, A McKay, H Streak, A Whittall, A Huckle, -C Kok, A Blignaut.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)