Sadaf Hussain

** Unavailable for the UK/EU 2023 season **

Sadaf Hussain is a towering left-arm quick who has lorded Pakistani domestic cricket for over a decade. He stimulates a sense of curiosity as to why he hasn’t gained a national call-up, despite being one of domestic cricket’s best seamers. Standing six feet five inches, Hussain is built like a bowler destined for greatness. It is his near-perfect record in the domestic circuit that raises several unanswered questions every time he is neglected by selectors.

After 97 first-class matches, Hussain has a mammoth collection of 415 wickets at an average of 20.32 (25 five-wicket bags and 5 ten-wicket match hauls) with best match figures of 15 for 154. His List-A record is equally impressive - 139 wickets in 68 matches at an average of 21.79, including 10 four-wicket and 3 five-wicket hauls.

Hussain has represented Khan Research Laboratories, Federal Areas, Rawalpindi, and most recently Northern (Pakistan) in domestic cricket, while also representing Pakistan A. It is difficult to comprehend how Hussain hasn’t played for Pakistan – his season-by-season first-class record is exemplary.

He made his debut in 2008/09 and has only averaged over 20 with the ball in four of his 10 seasons, namely 2011/12 (58 wickets at 20.65), 2016/17 (28 wickets at 23.07), 2018/19 (36 wickets at 20.97), and 2019/20 (16 wickets at 50.31). In 2017/18, Hussain dominated all formats - 47 wickets at 15.02 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and 23 wickets at 19.95 (topping the One Day Cup Departments Competition).

However, Hussain’s national omission has been to English league club's Burslem (2015), Bagnal Norton's (2016), Oswestry (2017), Berkswell (2018), and Horsford's (2019) gain, as he decimated batting line-up’s in both the North Staffs, Birmingham and East Anglian Premier League's. Over his 2 seasons in Cheshire, he took 143 wickets at 10.36 with an incredible 15 five-wicket hauls, economy rate of 2.89, strike rate of 21.49, and 44.55% of all 1st XI wickets. In 2017, he continued to excel for Oswestry claiming an outstanding 48 wickets at 13.50 with best bowling figures of 9-47. Unfortunately, visa complications delayed his arrival and, his early return for the Pakistani season, resulted in Hussain only playing 7 games for the Birmingham Premier outfit, taking 8 wickets at 19.63. He was then a late addition to Horsford's side in 2019, yet still managed another 26 wickets at 17.92.

The left-arm quick returned in 2021 to play for Eppleton who, coincidently, he was set to join back in 2011 prior to international selection hampering the deal. Unsurprisingly he impressed taking 55 wickets at 12.44 to earn another season. Unfortunately, due to the non-obtainment of his ECB Health and Safety, he was ineligible to return to Eppleton in 2022, and has no longer played the required 5 FC matches in 36 months for the ISP visa.