Pakistan Player At The Root Of No-Handshake, On Radar For Getting Picked In England

Pakistan stars in contention for County Club [Source: AP]

The 2026 County Championship is well underway, with 29 matches across both divisions already played. Heading into May, the County Clubs are also making final adjustments for the white-ball leg of the season with the T20 Blast beginning at the end of the month.

Notably, with the PSL 2026 coming to an end, multiple Pakistan stars are under consideration to come in as professionals to bolster the tournament. This includes a name from the T20 World Cup squad, who found himself in a controversy, mocking India after the Pahalgam terror attacks in the summer of 2025.

Yorkshire eye controversial Pakistan star for T20 Blast

A couple of weeks ago, Yorkshire County Cricket Club made a move for the medium-pacer, Hasan Ali, for the upcoming T20 Blast after Warwickshire decided against renewing his contract. The bowler had picked 44 wickets in 22 matches across 3 Blast seasons for them.

Now, according to the Daily Mail, Yorkshire are looking to add two more Pakistanis to the roster just weeks ahead of the competition after Naveen-ul-Haq got injured and Will Sutherland pulled out of the season.

This includes the controversial Faheem Ashraf, who had recently scored a blistering 29*(11) against the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup to avoid an embarrassing upset. The all-rounder could be joined by countryman Mohammad Wasim, who returned to the national team recently after a brief hiatus.

Faheem Ashraf brings experience of close to 280 T20s, having picked 267 wickets and nearly 2400 runs, striking at over 140 in the format. On the other hand, Wasim Jr has played 114 T20s and picked 130 scalps.

Also Read: Faheem Ashraf Savagely Fights With Mohammad Amir During Ugly PSL Send-Off

Faheem Ashraf’s controversial social media post against India

During the summer of 2025, when India and Pakistan were found in a war-like situation after the Pahalgam terror attack, both PSL and IPL went on a sudden break. The pace bowling all-rounder was among the Pakistani players who notably crossed a line at a sensitive time with his social media shenanigans.

He sparked outrage by posting an AI-generated image of a Pakistani soldier applying sindoor (vermilion) to a woman draped in a tricolour saree.

Months later, when India and Pakistan met in the Asia Cup on three separate occasions, the incidents between the countries took centre stage on the field, and India refused to shake hands with any Pakistani player throughout the tournament. This was also followed in the T20 World Cup, where Faheem Ashraf was a part of the squad.

Yorkshire eye a historic T20 Blast

Yorkshire are the most successful team in the County Championship, with a record 33 titles, including one shared trophy with Middlesex, and clinched their last trophy in 2015.

However, the White Rose, known as Yorkshire Vikinge, have been unable to replicate this success in the T20 Blast. 23 seasons in since the inaugural 2003 edition, they are yet to win any T20 trophies. The closest they came was in 2012, when they were defeated in the final against Hampshire by 10 runs.

With the potential inclusion of Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Wasim to join Hasan Ali, they will go and try to win their maiden T20 trophy in the 24th attempt. They begin their 2026 campaign against Nottinghamshire on May 22 at Trent Bridge, West Bridgford.

Also Read: England Player Who Once Fought Madly With Virat Kohli, Leads The Race To Become Chief Selector