Rafiq set to become Yorkshire's youngest captain

By Graham Hardcastle

Azeem Rafiq is in line to captain Yorkshire in tomorrow’s Friends Life t20 clash with Durham at Chester-le-Street, thus becoming the county’s youngest skipper in a competitive match at the age of 21 years and 116 days.

Rafiq has been named as the replacement for Andrew Gale should the left-handed opener not recover, as expected, from a hip injury he has suffered in training. The Pakistan-born, Barnsley-raised off-spinner would also become the White Rose’s first captain of Asian origin.

With experienced heads such as Jaques, Brophy, Pyrah and Sidebottom in a 14-man squad for the trip to the North East, it shows just how highly Rafiq is thought of by the coaching staff at Headingley.

He has matured greatly since the days of his infamous Twitter rant at England under 19s coach John Abrahams in the summer of 2010, for which he was sacked as his country’s captain and suspended by Yorkshire.

Rafiq, who is now preferred to Adil Rashid as number one spinner in the County Championship, has captained Yorkshire’s second team this summer having also led first teams in pre-season friendlies on tour in Barbados and at Derbyshire in March.

Yorkshire, who also face current group leaders Nottinghamshire at Scarborough on Sunday, are looking for their third win on the spin at Durham, who they lost to at Headingley last Friday.


Date: 21/06/2012 18:30:05 by Graham Hardcastle
In: Yorkshire | Today |