Cricket: Ajmal Shahzad call alongside Ryan Sidebottom sets up double Huddersfield delight

Jan 19 2010 by David Lockwood, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HUDDERSFIELD is boasting two cricketers born in the town being selected to tour the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh with England’s Test and one-day team in February and March.

Birkby-born Ajmal Shahzad has joined Ryan Sidebottom, who originally hails from Woodsome Park, in the national side.

While Sidebottom grew up here and went to school at King James’s at Almondbury, Ajmal moved to Bradford at the age of three.

As an established member of the England squad it was no surprise that Sidebottom was included in the tour party, but Shahzad’s selection has come out of the blue, although he was on the England selectors’ radar, having been part of the England Performance Programme.

“It’s been a hard couple of years just trying to get recognised, trying to get to the stage where I’m being selected for the England Lions team, the academy to South Africa, and just working hard there and getting the recognition to be selected,” said Shahzad.

“I had no idea I was going to be in the squad.

“I was disappointed, to the say the least, that I wasn’t selected in the England Lions squad that got announced. I got a few phone calls saying ‘how come I hadn’t been involved or added to the squad?’ but I had no answer to them.

“I gave Dave Parsons a ring and he said ‘look, you just need to hang fire for a little while – I can’t tell you the information. I can’t give you the reason why, but Geoff Miller will give you a ring soon and you’ll know about it then.’