Abdullah Shafique misses out on county deal

Leicestershire's plans for the upcoming county season have been thrown into disarray due to the collapse of a deal to sign Pakistan opener, Abdullah Shafique, just weeks before the start of the season. 

Shafique was called to play the first six County Championship fixtures before being replaced by India's Ajinkya Rahane for the remaining 12 and the Royal London Cup, but the announcement confirming his arrival was called off at the last minute.

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This leaves head coach Paul Nixon and director of cricket Claude Henderson in a difficult position, as they will need to explore other options to fill the void. Shafique's absence will be felt keenly.

"We have to cover ourselves," Nixon said. "He's played so well in the PSL we are having to look elsewhere."

"He had a little niggle in his side which he's been playing with. He's having a bit of time away from cricket because it has been a bit full-on," he added.

The 23-year-old played brilliantly for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, scoring 268 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 144.08. 

However, despite his success in Test cricket, he has been largely overlooked for white-ball internationals in recent years, with his last appearance coming in a T20I in 2020. 

Leicestershire will now need to pursue alternative options to strengthen their squad ahead of the season. 

While they have South African allrounder Wiaan Mulder and Naveen-ul-Haq available for the campaign, injury concerns over Mulder have caused some uncertainty.

The club finished bottom of the Championship last season and improving their batting will be a priority this year.