Barnsley CC's Yorkshire League title hopes have been dealt a 'massive blow' with the news that their overseas star Zohaib Ahmad will be recalled to Pakistan earlier than expected.
All-rounder Ahmad – who has helped the Shaw Laners to the top of the Yorkshire League with 49 wickets and 583 runs this season – will definitely miss the final two weeks of Barnsley's campaign after the season in his home country was brought forward. He could also be absent for the Bank Holiday weekend matches at the end of August meaning this weekend might be his last with current leaders Barnsley.
"It is a massive blow to lose the best overseas player in the league by a mile," said Shaw Lane skipper Jason Booth.
"He will definitely miss the two weeks in September and he might miss the last weekend in August as well, but he has asked permission to stay and play for us. That means we won't have had our full strength team out once all season because we shave had a few players out injured. It will be an amazing achievement if we still go on to win the league."
Booth will be without Danny and Azeem Rafiq for the next two weeks as they are both out of the country with their family. The brothers both have more than 500 runs this season while former Yorkshire captain Azeem has also taken 29 wickets.
Azeem made his second half-century of the campaign on Saturday as he smashed two sixes in his 57 off 47 balls which powered Barnsley to 288 for seven at home to Castleford, who had won the toss. That built on the foundations laid by Barnsley's top-scoring opener Jon Trower who had begun the day on 998 runs for the season then passed the 1,000 and 1,100 marks with a brilliant 110.
Castleford were then bowled out for 133 as there were four wickets each for James Brown – who Booth said produced his best spell of the year – and spinner Ali Jahangir, who is the Shaw Laners' top wicket-taker with 56 this season.
The victory kept Barnsley, who have already won the Twenty20 Cup, three points clear of second-placed York. They travel to current champions Yorkshire Academy for a league game tomorrow before doing the same on Sunday in the League Cup semi-final.
