Nottinghamshire fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad is looking to return for England after more than two years out of the side.
After a surprise inclusion in the Ashes squad for England’s tour of Australia in 2010/11, fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad may have expected to be a Test regular by now.
However, since playing both Twenty20 matches and one ODI on that tour Shahzad has not played for England after prolonged problems with injury.
The bowler struggled with form and fitness after picking up an ankle injury during the Australia visit and was effectively made a scapegoat for his then county side Yorkshire’s relegation to Division Two of the County Championship.
Shahzad went from being a hero, as the first Yorkshire-born Asian to play for the county, to a villain that was considered a troublemaker in the squad and a loan move to Lancashire soon followed.
After a couple of difficult years for the 27-year-old he is now at Nottinghamshire and is looking to get his international career back on track.
Shahzad sees the county platform as the perfect stage to catch the England selectors’ eye once more with his aggressive bowling style.
“If I can do well against these guys in the nets and stand out amongst some of the best it can get me back in the spotlight, because I still have massive ambitions,” the bowler said on the Independent’s website.
Shahzad took four wickets during his one and only Test match against Bangladesh in 2010 and last played for England in March 2011, again against the Bangladeshis in a one-day international.
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