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Naved Arif, now 32, is not a household name in cricket, but neither is he a nobody

Andrew McGlashan22-May-2014Naved Arif, now 32, is not a household name in cricket, but neither is he a nobody. A first-class bowling average of 24.38 showed that he had some skill when it came to his left-arm pace bowling and he reached as far as Pakistan A in 2009 when he toured Australia, playing against the likes of Cameron White and George Bailey, and Sri Lanka.Now, however, the man given the nickname ‘Barry’ – as in Great Barrier Reef – while playing league cricket in Lancashire faces being known forever as a match-fixer if the charges laid by the ECB in relation to a county match in 2011 are made to stick.He joined Sussex in 2011 – ironically, it was announced on the same day as Sussex’s signing of Lou Vincent – a process eased by the fact his wife was Danish so he did not class as an overseas player. He had made his first-class debut in Pakistan in 2002, and marked the appearance with figures of 5 for 28 against Hyderabad.At the time, Mark Robinson, the Sussex coach, said: “Naved is a late developer, and with his background in Pakistan he’s had to do it the tough way. His record out there on unhelpful wickets is outstanding and he’s got the potential to change games.”His Sussex debut came in April 2011, against Lancashire at Aigburth, and it was undistinguished affair as he took 1 for 68 and made 6 and 0 in an innings defeat. However, a couple of weeks later against the same opposition he scored an unbeaten hundred – his only one in first-class cricket, he does not have another score over fifty – to earn Sussex a draw when defeat had looked likely. said Arif had mixed “studied defence with attractive leg-side blows”. He helped save the match in a last-wicket stand of 90 alongside Monty Panesar.He played just four Championship matches in the season, but claimed a creditable 15 wickets at 25.86. He was more of a regular in the 40-over team and on August 23 faced Kent in a televised match that has been long under the spotlight despite being cleared by ICC. Arif made 11 off 29 balls as, from a position of considerable strength, Sussex failed to chase down 217. He had earlier conceded 0 for 41 in six overs.In 2012 he made seven Championship appearances, his last against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in what was also his final first-team match for Sussex. At the end of the season he was released having appeared in just two more 2nd XI fixtures.In December of the same year he played two matches for Sialkot Stallions and his last professional game of cricket was against Lahore Lions, where he took 1 for 29.However, he did play club cricket again in England as recently as April this year when he appeared for Little Stoke Cricket Club taking 5 for 26 and making 52.If found guilty of the charges he faces Arif now faces a ban from all levels of cricket organised, authorised or supported by the ECB, ICC, any other National Cricket Federation and any member of any other National Cricket Federation.

Sahara’s decision to pull Pune Warriors out of the IPL has thrown into question its pending payments to the franchise’s players

Amol Karhadkar21-May-2013Sahara’s decision to pull Pune Warriors out of the IPL has thrown into question its pending payments to the franchise’s players. The players’ contract stipulate that 35% of their salaries will be paid after the tournament ends.Senior batsman Robin Uthappa said he had no worries about payment, although at least three domestic players confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that they hadn’t yet been paid their second instalment of 50%, which was due by May 1.”Sahara have never defaulted so far in the previous seasons,” Uthappa told ESPNcricinfo. “In fact, two out of the four instalments for this year have already come. The remaining two are scheduled to come in September and then November. They have always paid very well, and I have no doubt they will not falter.”Even though Sahara may have paid a few senior players the second instalment of their salaries, hardly any of the domestic uncapped players has been paid after the first instalment of 15%.”We just hope that whatever be the fallout between the owners and the board, our interests will be safeguarded,” a player said, requesting anonymity.A Sahara spokesperson said the domestic uncapped players had nothing to worry about. “Why should we falter the payment of those players especially when we are paying millions to the senior players,” the spokesperson said. “Remember, last year we even paid a senior professional like Yuvraj Singh his full contracted fee of $1.8 million even when he had could not play a single match due to his illness.”The BCCI, meanwhile, has decided to not let the players suffer for what it termed “the owners’ goof-up”. “The players’ payments will be adjusted from the franchise’s share of the central pool,” a board official said. “The board will deduct players’ payments before settling the share of their central pool revenue.”According to the IPL player contracts, a tripartite agreement between the player, the franchise and the board, players’ fees are supposed to be disbursed in four instalments. The first of 15% is due before the start of the season, the second of 50% before May 1, the third – a share of 20% – immediately after the conclusion of the Champions League Twenty20 and the remaining 15% before December 1.The coaching staff’s contracts, however, are bilateral, and it could not be ascertained whether the support staff’s dues were cleared. In the past two seasons, the coaching staff’s contract fees were settled after several reminders from the specialist coaches and rest of the support staff members.

Chris Nash made his third Championship hundred of the season as Sussex tightened their hold on the game against Somerset

David Hopps at Hove05-Sep-2012
ScorecardChris Nash: unlikely to be falling into the vacancy at England opener despite more runs for Sussex•Getty ImagesAndrew Strauss has retired and the debate about who will step into his England opener’s job has suddenly become more pressing. Nick Compton and Varun Chopra, who have both passed 1,000 Championship runs in Division One, have their admirers. As for Chris Nash, whose unbeaten century left him 43 runs short of becoming the third England-qualified batsman to 1,000, he never merits a mention.It will probably always be this way for Nash, no matter how much he waves his arms. In fact, it is perhaps something to do with the way he waves his arms. Les Lenham, Sussex’s batting coach, might put it more technically, but after a couple of Lions appearances, England have lost interest. “It’s always a dream,” he said. “All you can do is score runs and put your name in the hat.”But Sussex spectators appreciate Nash’s fighting spirit and his hundred against Somerset, from 157 balls, has left them strongly placed for victory as, to all intents and purposes, they chase runners-up spot in Division One. He had a few alarms as his hundred approached, stealing a tight run to mid-on to reach 99 and surviving Steve Kirby’s direct hit and then was spared an lbw appeal before he drove Peter Trego down the ground.Alongside him, Murray Goodwin assembled only his second Championship fifty of the season in his Hove farewell. He received a sitting-and-standing ovation as if Sussex members were confused about correct etiquette. They will doubtless get to their feet sometime today.Sussex have lavished praise upon him, and he upon them, and that has just added to the feeling that, at 39, he is heading into retirement. But he wants none of it – he is looking for another county and as he is also viewed as a good team man he should get one last deal. He set off at a dash, with four boundaries in eight balls, his signature cut shot was warmed up by some short and wide stuff by Sajid Mahmood (his signature ball muttered one cynic) and he got the confidence to try to bat big one last time.It was a gorgeous late summer’s day at Hove, the sort that Britain had seemingly forgotten how to produce, and Nash and Goodwin, in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 139, topped up Sussex’s first-innings lead of 87 rather like a few of the spectators are topping up their tans: pleasurably and methodically with a minimum amount of fuss. They led by 273 at the close. You could almost hear Somerset’s ageing pace attack creaking.They had collapsed dismally in the morning. At 68 for 1, Somerset were making sturdy, if unspectacular, progress towards Sussex’s 221. Then they lost nine wickets for 66 in 24 overs. It is never good news for Somerset when Marcus Trescothick gets out, but this was overdoing the feeling of despair.Trescothick, 20,000 first-class runs under his belt, fell lbw to Sussex’s rangy Australian quick, Steve Magoffin, and Somerset lost three wickets for three runs in three overs, the weakest shot from James Hildreth who shovelled Monty Panesar to midwicket.Peter Trego bats like a gambler. In fact, sometimes he bats like The Dice Man, the cult novel by Luke Rhinehart, which tells of a psychiatrist who begins making increasingly important life-and-death decisions based on the casting of dice. It all looks highly exciting and somewhat random. Trego took four boundaries in a row off Magoffin but then self-destructed, hooking James Anyon to deep backward square, where Nash took an athletic catch.Magoffin’s three wickets were matched by Lewis Hatchett, a young left-arm quick, and Panesar, whose three cheap wickets against the tail will have done him no harm as he gently reminds the England selectors that he is still around ahead of the selection next week of the Test squad for India.When Steve Snell drove him to mid-off, Panesar lugubriously joined the celebrations as if he was not entirely sure he had been invited, like the hanger-on walking into the room at a student party. Well, not entirely like that because obviously he wasn’t carrying a cheap four-pack of lager.

A number of Major League Soccer teams have brought in exciting talent from abroad prior to the 2018 campaign. Goal runs down 15 of the best newcomers

Kim KlementJosue Colman, midfielder – Orlando CityThe 19-year-old was signed from Paraguayan power Cerro Porteno in the offseason for a reported $3 million, and is expected to immediately slot in for the Lions and help fill the void left by Kaka's offseason retirement. The young designated player is highly regarded and Orlando City hopes he can make a similar impact in MLS as another former Cerro Porteno star: Atlanta United's Miguel Almiron. AdvertisementBuda MendesEzequiel Barco, midfielder – Atlanta UnitedNo MLS team has paid as much for a player as Atlanta United did for Barco this offseason, so it's safe to say all that eyes will be on the Argentine teenager in 2018. Barco's $15 million signing was a major coup for the league, as the attacking midfielder had plenty of suitors all over Europe. The former Independiente man can play on the wing or in a No. 10 role, and his addition to an offense already containing the likes of Miguel Almiron and Josef Martinez could make Atlanta nearly impossible to stop. Gabriele Maltinti/Getty ImagesSaphir Taider, midfielder – Montreal ImpactThe Impact needed a replacement for Blerim Dzemaili this offseason, and they didn't have to look very far. With Dzemaili returning to Serie A side Bologna after his loan expired, Montreal again raided sister club Bologna's roster to sign Algerian international midfielder Taider as a designated player. Taider is highly experienced for a 26-year-old, with 162 career Serie A appearances and 42 caps for his country. If Taider can replicate Dzemaili's production, Montreal will be one step closer to a playoff return. ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Javier Gonzalez ToledoJesus Medina, midfielder – New York City FCNYCFC hopes to strike gold with Medina, a lightning-quick attacker capable of playing several different roles across the midfield or even as a false nine. The 20-year-old has already made his senior debut for Paraguay and, if he continues on his current trajectory, should help NYCFC fans forget about the recently sold Jack Harrison.

Umar Farooq29-Apr-2013Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan allrounder, middle-order batsman Umar Akmal and fast bowler Sohail Tanvir have been left out of the ODI squad for the Champions Trophy in England this June. Fast bowlers Ehsan Adil and Asad Ali, and batsman Umar Amin, were selected, after they had been omitted from the tour of South Africa.Pakistan’s selectors met in Lahore on Monday to trim the 29 probables – Umar Gul was unavailable because of injury – down to 15 for the Champions Trophy, as well as the ODIs in Ireland and Scotland. The announcement of a Pakistan squad is usually made before 7pm (PKT) but the selection committee did not emerge until at 10.45pm after getting the approval Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.”Afridi had been selected as a bowling allrounder but he was not up to the mark and couldn’t score at crucial occasions so we had to left him out,” chief selector Iqbal Qasim said. “His career is not finished, if he performs at domestic level, he can stage a comeback. He is an asset to Pakistan, and as long as a player is performing he keeps on playing, if he doesn’t perform he goes out of the team.”Afridi had been dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the ODI series in India in December 2012, but was chosen for the trip to South Africa because of his skill as a legspinner. He failed to take a wicket in 37 overs, though, and scored 126 runs in four innings with a high score of 88. Since the start of 2012, Afridi’s taken only 15 wickets in 21 ODIs, and five of those came in one game against Afghanistan. His batting average during this period is 19.”Had he scored at the domestic level he could have earned the place,” Qasim said. “It’s always difficult to drop such a senior player but ultimately selectors have to take a decision for the sake of the team.”Pakistan have named five specialist fast bowlers, two full-time spinners while Mohamamd Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Amin fill the allrounder roles. Besides Afridi, Pakistan had already left out Younis Khan from the initial squad, but Wahab Riaz, the left-arm quick, has been retained despite a poor showing in South Africa.Amin, a left-hander who also bowls right-arm medium pace, played four Tests and three ODIs in 2010 while Asad was selected for the India ODI series but did not it into the playing eleven.”We have picked the squad from the best available resources after consulting the captain and the input from the coach,” Qasim said. “There obviously were arguments but when the team is made, it’s made with consensus.”Pakistan are in group B for the early stage of the tournament which includes the enticing prospect of a clash against India, plus matches against West Indies and South Africa. “Pakistan indeed has a tough pool but our team is good and has the ability to do well,” Qasim said. “Pakistan always has a good record in the international events and I am hopeful that the players will play at their potential to produce good results.”The PCB also named Trent Woodhill, a former assistant coach of New Zealand, as their batting coach for three weeks during the tournament in England.The squad will now train in Abbotabad from May 3 to 9 before departing for Scotland.Squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal, Misbah ul Haq (capt), Shoaib Malik, Asad Shafiq, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Asad Ali, Wahab Riaz, Umar Amin, Abdur Rehman, Ehsan Adil

Samit Patel claims not to have any thoughts of an England recall but after a stalemate at Taunton his Notts coach, and now England selector, Mick Newell, said it was too early to write him off

Alex Winter at Taunton07-May-2014
ScorecardSamit Patel has a clean slate, according to Mick Newell•Getty ImagesSamit Patel claims not to have any thoughts of an England recall but in this match gave the best impression of the potential that England could call upon in their new era under Peter Moores.Patel breezed his way past fifty on a particularly mediocre final day which brought personal satisfaction for Phil Jaques as he added 95 on the day to reach an unbeaten 150, but which long before his six-and-a-quarter hour stint was over was heading inexorably towards the second tame draw in succession at Taunton.Patel also had a second century in the match laid before him, only to sweep a full delivery from Johann Myburgh and be bowled for 75. But the innings continued a smart run of form that suggests, at 29, he may be approaching his peak. It is only 15 months ago since he last played for England.”I don’t think the door should be shut on Samit,” Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire director of cricket and new England selector said. “He is a potential international cricketer still. He has been in and around the edges for a number of years. He has to score heavily and he needs his bowling to be of a level where he offers both I think, because of the potential for an allrounder who is a spin bowler rather than a seamer.”He is nearly 30 now, and he’s got to have an opportunity, but he has got to churn out regular scores. He has played very nicely in two innings this year – 90 against Lancashire when it was doing a lot, and the innings here. He’s a very attractive batsman to watch when he’s batting like that.”Newell described the England team as “more of a clean slate than it has been for a number of years” and suggested a number of players should be hopeful of a recall if they perform. Nick Compton being one of them. Discarded before the Ashes last summer, despite two centuries against New Zealand, Compton could be considered again with England requiring a new opener and potentially a No. 3 for the Sri Lanka Tests and India series to follow.”People who have played recently like Craig Kieswetter and Nick Compton will feel they have a good chance of playing,” Newell said. “And they certainly do. But it’s not just about scoring three hundreds to get in, it still comes down to opinion and belief as to who will score the most when you put them on to the bigger stage.”Here, Compton suffered a poor dismissal – caught behind cutting to the gentle seamers of Steven Mullaney for only 25 – but a century at Durham in the second match of the season could be the innings to fulfil the criteria Newell describes. Craig Kieswetter’s three dropped catches – he also put down Phil Jaques on the final day – were disappointing but with Johnny Bairstow not convincing as England’s next-best wicketkeeper and a fitness cloud around Matt Prior, Kieswetter could be one of a number of gloveman to consider.James Taylor, a player Newell has been able to keep a closer eye on, was similarly handled to Compton in being dropped by England without doing too much wrong. Taylor was again part of the England Lions touring party in the winter and enjoyed a strong tour of Sri Lanka including a first-class best 242 not out.”Both of them have had a taste, and both of them will feel they want some more,” Newell said. “That’s the whole challenge. If you want some more, you have to show everyone you really are hungry. You’ve got two blokes there who really love batting, who want to churn the runs out.”For the most part it is going to come down to scoring a volume of runs. Someone like Gary Ballance has pushed himself forward with the runs that he has got this season. The challenge to Nick and James is to make the volume but also to make the important innings, the match winning innings.”Taylor had little chance of a match-winning innings at Taunton on such a tame wicket that only yielded 23 wickets in four days but he was visibly disappointed to be lbw for just 5 three overs into a final day where Phil Jaques made a first century for his new county.”James is 23 going on 47 I think. He’s very mature, and he’s very well organised about how he goes about his practice and training – a pleasure to have in your team. He’s hitting the ball nicely, and I thought he was playing very well in his first innings. He feels he can compete with these guys for that middle order spot that might be going up for grabs.”

A round-up of the first day’s play of Group A second-round matches of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2013
ScorecardWasim Jaffer finished the day eight runs short of his 33rd Ranji Trophy hundred•FotocorpWasim Jaffer’s unbeaten 92 lifted Mumbai from a precarious 85 for 4 to the relative safety of 207 for 5 in their second-round match against Punjab in Chandigarh.Mumbai won the toss and opted to bat, but were jolted early on by fast bowler Siddarth Kaul, who dismissed opener Aditya Tare for 11. Kaustubh Pawar and Jaffer then led Mumbai’s slow recovery but the side stumbled against the Punjab bowling, losing three wickets for 26 runs within nine overs.Allrounder Suryakumar Yadav then struck a partnership with Jaffer and the pair put on 102 runs for the fifth wicket to resurrect Mumbai’s innings. Yadav, however, couldn’t build on his start and was dismissed by Yuvraj Singh for 44 off 82 balls. Jaffer, the batsman with the most number of Ranji centuries, was unbeaten on 92, as the umpires called off play early due to bad light. The Mumbai batsman will have a chance to score a record 33rd hundred on the second day.
ScorecardIn the six matches Venugopal Rao had played for Gujarat – his fourth Ranji team – he had meagre returns of 126 runs at 12.60. But in front of a crowd of about 6000 cheering the home team at a nearly packed Surat’s Lalbhai Contractor stadium against star-studded Delhi, Rao scored his first first-class century in almost six years to help Gujarat close the day on a relatively positive note despite Sumit Narwal’s sixth five-wicket haul.
ScorecardLeft-arm pacer S Aravind picked up 3 for 45 on his first-class comeback for Karnataka as they restricted Jharkhand to 214 for 5 on the first day of their match in Mysore.Aravind, who last played a first-class match for Karnataka in December 2011 before being sidelined by injury, struck early after Karnataka put Jharkhand in to bat. He dismissed opener Akash Verma for 13, but Jharkhand consolidated through a 92-run partnership for the second wicket between Jharkhand’s recent recruit Bhavik Thaker and opener Rameez Nemat.Thaker and Nemat were both dismissed by left-arm spinner KP Appanna, and Aravind had Ishank Jaggi caught behind in the 70th over. Aravind also broke a promising stand between Saurabh Tiwary and Shiv Gautam, dismissing the latter to leave Jharkhand at 214 for 5.Tiwary, who had undergone a shoulder surgery prior to the season, finished unbeaten on 43 off 94 balls, with five fours and a six and will be key for Jharkhand on the second day.
ScorecardSunny Singh and Avi Barot ground the Vidarbha bowlers, taking Haryana to a secure 235 for 4 on the first day of their Group A tie in Nagpur. Haryana won the toss and chose to bat, but had to contend with the loss of Nitin Saini and Abhimanyu Khod with having just passed 50.That was the only success Vidarbha enjoyed until the later overs of the day as Sunny and Avi Barot added 122 for the third wicket. Barot, who shifted to Haryana this season, scored 64 off 141 balls, including nine fours. Vidarbha dismissed Barot and Rahul Dalal quickly towards the end of the day, but still face a threat in Sunny, who remained unbeaten on 101 off 201 balls, his 13th first-class hundred.

Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas admitted his side “just didn’t turn up” after they were beaten by Surrey in the semi-final of the Friends Life t20 at Edgbaston

George Dobell at Edgbaston17-Aug-2013
ScorecardZander de Bruyn played a calm innings to steer Surrey home•Getty ImagesHampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas admitted his side “just didn’t turn up” after they were beaten by Surrey in the semi-final of the Friends Life t20 at Edgbaston.Hampshire, the champions in 2010 and 2012, struggled to an under par total of 142 before Surrey reached their target with four wickets in hand and four balls to spare. But though Hampshire’s bowlers donated nine wides, Mascarenhas put the blame for defeat squarely on the shoulders of his batsmen.”Our batters just didn’t bat well enough,” he said. “We just didn’t get enough runs. In T20, one mistake can kill you and we made a lot mistakes out there today. It’s hard to defend 140 in a semi-final. 160 was about par, but we lost three wickets in the first six overs and that cost us.”The result saw Surrey, who last won the trophy in 2003, qualify for their first T20 final since 2004.They made hard work of their modest chase, though. Despite little pressure from the run-rate, several of the batsmen picked out fielders in the deep – Glenn Maxwell, who found out long-off, and Jason Roy, who hit the ball straight to deep midwicket were particularly culpable – while Azhar Mahmood, turning like an oil tanker, was run-out having been sent back.Eventually Zander de Bruyn, with a calm innings of 41 off 40 balls, and Zafar Ansari, with an intelligent innings of 21 from 12 balls, took Surrey over the line in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 33 in three overs. With 17 required from the final 11 balls, Ansari drove a straight six and then a straight four off the bowling of Chris Wood to all but seal the contest.The architects of the Surrey victory were their bowlers, though. Mahmood bowled his four overs for the cost of only nine runs and, having opened the innings with a maiden, did not concede a run until his 12th delivery.Hampshire, who did not score a run until the 10th ball of their innings, appeared rattled by the sluggish start and, in attempting to up the rate, lost three wickets in the first six overs to a variety of desperate strokes.Jade Dernbach, who claimed wickets with the final two deliveries of the quarter-final against Somerset, took another with his first in this game – James Vince missing a drive – and struck another big blow at the end of his first over when Neil McKenzie attempted to swing him into the leg side and was adjudged, perhaps a little harshly, leg before. Only Sean Ervine, who made 47, flourished for any length of time.”Our bowlers were outstanding,” Surrey’s stand-in captain Vikram Solanki said afterwards. “We put ourselves under pressure with the bat, but Ansari was brilliant.”

Charlotte FC boss Dean Smith was hilariously reminded postgame by players that he owes them a bottle of wine for keeping a clean sheet.

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Charlotte FC defeat NYCFC 1-0Dean Smith earns win in MLS coaching debutManager shares hilarious moment with squad postgameWHAT HAPPENED?

After defeating New York City FC 1-0 Saturday evening, courtesy of an eight-minute winner from Adilson Malanda, the locker room was all smiles for Charlotte FC. New boss Dean Smith – who had stints across England with Aston Villa, Norwich City, Brentford and Leicester City – was joking with media postgame, while revealing a cheeky promise he made to his defenders.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAdvertisementUSA Today Sports WHAT DEAN SMITH SAID

Speaking about the result postgame, while mentioning how happy he was with his defense on keeping a clean sheet, the Englishman dropped news that he promised his defense a bottle of wine if they kept the opposition scoreless…

Speaking to media, he said "they reminded me" in hilarious fashion.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Charlotte FC scraped into the playoffs last season, but underwhelmed across the board throughout the campaign. After parting ways with manager Christian Lattanzio, and eventually two Designated Players in Karol Swiderski and Kamil Jozwiak in the offseason, they're a re-invented side in 2024.

With Smith at the helm – and two open DP slots – anything now feels possible for the Eastern Conference side. However, first things first, they need to figure out what kind of Wine they'll be celebrating with Saturday evening…

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR DEAN SMITH AND CHARLOTTE FC?

The CLT FC boss and his squad will take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in week two of the MLS season. They'll be looking to make it six points from two matches as they travel to the Canadian side next Saturday.

Chris Morris, the South Africa allrounder, has agreed to join Surrey for this summer’s NatWest T20 Blast competition

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2016Chris Morris, the South Africa allrounder whose exploits helped turn the tables on England in their recent limited-overs series, has agreed to join Surrey for this summer’s NatWest T20 Blast competition.Morris will arrive at Surrey in July as a replacement for the West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo, who will be departing for the Caribbean Premier League. He will be available for the final six group matches of the tournament, including four Friday night home fixtures at the Kia Oval.”I am delighted to have signed for Surrey to play T20 this year,” said Morris. “Playing county cricket has always been a big ambition of mine and I am delighted to be playing at the Kia Oval. I look forward to joining up with the boys in July and I hope to contribute towards a successful season for the county.”Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, added: “Chris is an exciting three-dimensional cricketer with bat, ball and in the field and has shown his match-winning abilities in the recent South Africa v England 50-over and T20 series. He will give us a number of very good options when he joins us in July and everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming him this summer.”Morris made headlines throughout South Africa’s home summer, both on and off the field, where he was signed by the Delhi Daredevils for US$1,044,000 to play in this season’s IPL.He made his Test debut against England at Cape Town, scoring 69 in his maiden innings as well as clinging onto two outstanding one-handed catches in the slip cordon.His most outstanding moment, however, came in the fourth ODI against England at Johannesburg, when he blazed South Africa to a thrilling one-wicket victory with 62 from 38 balls, a victory that enabled them to come from 2-0 down to win the series 3-2.An NOC certificate was issued by Cricket South Africa this week, allowing Morris to play in England this summer. It will be his first experience in English domestic cricket, coming on the back of experience with the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League and the Highveld Lions in South Africa.