Iftikhar Ahmed, a stylish middle order batsman and off-break bowler, will join the club in April as one of its two professionals.
“This is an extremely exciting recruitment which should not only ensure that the first team continues challenging seriously for league honours but crucially should help the continued development of our own young homegrown players,” said club president Stephen Brenkley.
“Players of Iftikhar’s star quality don’t come along that often and his availability was unearthed by our former club captain, Mike Stanwix, who can be relied on to spot a good ’un at a distance of a thousand yards.
“The nitty gritty of the negotiations was then done by Johnny Walker. Between them, Mike and Johnny are absolutely brilliant not only at scouting talented cricketers but persuading them that a cricketing outpost like Barney is the place to be.”
Iftikhar, 27, played his only Test match so far against England at The Oval on Pakistan’s 2016 tour.
He scored four and took the wicket of Jimmy Anderson in the tourists’ ten wicket victory. In addition, he has also played two one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international.
In the last few months he has been in the form of his life with both bat and ball in Pakistan’s domestic season.
He is the country’s second leading run scorer and is third in the bowling averages with 20 wickets at 10 runs apiece.
Last week, in the final of the first-class competition, the Quaid-i-Izam Trophy, Iftikhar twice rescued his side, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines, scoring 73 in the first innings as they recovered from 94-4, and 106 in the second after they fell to 21-4.
SNGP won the match by 103 runs against Water and Power Development for whom Aamer Sajjad, another former Barney pro, was playing.
Iftikhar narrowly missed out on the player of the match award to his team mate, Samiullah Khan, who took 11 wickets in the match including 8-62 in the second innings, but his performance confirmed that Barney can expect a significant contribution.
Although his experience in English conditions is restricted to the 2016 tour and he may never have encountered pitches quite like those he will see in April and May his bowling is likely to be a handful throughout.
“Our last player from Pakistan, Saj, was superb over three seasons with us and we’re really optimistic that Iftikhar can be as successful if not more so,” said Mr Brenkley. “The fact that he bowls fast, probing off-spin is as important as his batting. Our only worry now is that Pakistan decide to pick him for their tour of England early next summer.”
Barney have yet to recruit an English professional to replace the long-serving James Finch, a search that is being hampered by a shortage of available cricketers of proven pedigree. Negotiations have been started with several players without leading anywhere.
Finch led Barney to the NYSD League title for the first time in 2016 and they also won four knockout cups under his stewardship. Last season they finished third and won the T20 Macmillan Cup.
“We are very keen to enlist a player who will fit into our dressing room while also providing quality not only in terms of ability but of his or her approach to the game,” said Mr Brenkley.
“I would also say that we’ve all been surprised by the sums of money that are being asked by some players but there are a few months to go and we’re hopeful that we’ll sign someone who wants to play for a club that is as well-run as any in the country and has proved it can live with the big town clubs.”
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