English County side Warwickshire on Thursday announced it has signed India right-arm pacer Mohammed Siraj for its last three matches of the ongoing County Championship. Siraj will arrive at Edgbaston ahead of Warwickshire's home match against Somerset on September 12.
Siraj took 4-66 in the first innings of the fifth and final rescheduled Test between England and India at Edgbaston in July. He went on to pick six wickets in the three-match ODI series against England later in the month. Currently, Siraj is with the India ODI side for three-match series against Zimbabwe from August 18-22.
"I can't wait to join up with the Bears squad. I have always enjoyed playing in England with India and I'm excited to experience County Cricket. Edgbaston is a world-class stadium and the atmosphere it created this year for the Test was special."
"I'm really looking forward to making it my home in September and hopefully helping the Bears end the season well. I would like to extend my gratitude to both Warwickshire County Cricket Club and BCCI for this opportunity," said Siraj after getting signed by Warwickshire.
He becomes the sixth Indian player to sign up for the English domestic cricket season in 2022 after Cheteshwar Pujara (Sussex), Washington Sundar (Lancashire), Krunal Pandya (50-over matches for Warwickshire), Umesh Yadav (Middlesex) and Navdeep Saini (Kent).
Siraj, 28, is best known for his ability to swing the ball both ways and as of now, has picked 40 wickets in 13 Tests at an average of 30.77. In first-class cricket, Siraj has taken 194 wickets in 52 matches at an average of 24.90.
"Siraj is a fantastic addition to the squad and we can't wait to welcome him to Warwickshire. He is one of the best fast bowlers in the world right now and his knowledge and experience will help bring an added dimension to our line-up."
"It's been clear that we needed to strengthen our bowling attack for the crucial run-in period and I'm excited to see what Siraj can do in these three games," said Paul Farbrace, Director of Cricket at Warwickshire.