Surrey look for Express fix
With Surrey languishing at the bottom of Division 1 of the County Championship, news today reveals they are attempting to sign Shoaib Akhtar for the final three matches as part of a last ditch effort to escape relegation. Surrey are currently a full 20 points from safety so it will require quite a turnaround to retrieve the situation. Signing a new overseas player so late in the season is surely a risk, particularly when that player has a history of controversy.
Is this approach worthwhile, or is it too much of a risk for a county to adopt this sort of desperate measure? In addition to the potential upset to dressing room harmony, can a county be certain of the commitment of a player who is signing for only a few matches, and who can then move onto the next pay cheque regardless of the outcome?
In the case of Surrey/Shoaib, the motivation for Shoaib is apparantly an eagerness to regain his place in the Pakistan team. But there is no guarantee that this will lead to the sort of performances Surrey need to escape the drop. There is no time allowed for acclimitisation, and this could be another potential pitfall of such a short-term move.
Surrey’s weakpoint this season is undoubtedly their bowling attack, but I suspect that it will prove to be a case of the horse having already bolted.
Comments:
0