Fazalhaq Farooqi, a member of Afghanistan's T20 World Cup squad, has been picked up by the Sydney Thunder for the first half of BBL|12
Thunder bolster fast bowling stocks with Afghan quick
Sydney Thunder have picked up Afghanistan pace ace Fazalhaq Farooqi for the first nine rounds of KFC BBL|12 after their inaugural draft pick David Willey withdrew from the tournament last week.
The 22-year-old has represented his country 17 times in T20 internationals, the most recent of which was in Afghanistan's T20 World Cup clash with Australia at the Adelaide Oval earlier this month.
Farooqi picked up the wickets of Matthew Wade and Cameron Green in that fixture and conceded just 29 runs in a performance that caught the eye of Thunder list managers.
The quick also has seven ODIs to his name; his 3-11 in Afghanistan's Asia Cup victory over eventual winners Sri Lanka earlier this year similarly highlighting him as a player of promise.
The left-armer – whose yorker is a feature of his death-bowling game – has played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL in recent years and will provide a spark in a Thunder line-up lacking out-and-out pace.
Head of Thunder, Andrew Gilchrist, said Farooqi was not only a strong replacement for Willey, but possessed attributes that would excite fans across the country.
"While it was very disappointing to have lost David Willey, it has opened the door for Farooqi to further enhance his reputation and growing status in world cricket.
Gilchrist paid tribute to the recent contribution of Afghanistan cricketers in the Big Bash.
"Afghanistan has enjoyed a tremendous representation in the BBL over the years. Rashid Khan has been embraced by Adelaide Strikers fans as a genuine superstar and adopted South Australian, while others, including Zahir Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi (Renegades), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Heat) and Qais Ahmad (Stars) have made their marks.
"We fully expect Fazalhaq will only further enhance the growing reputation of cricketers from Afghanistan being fearless cricketers and extraordinary entertainers."
The Thunder could recruit another overseas player for the backend of the tournament once Farooqi departs just after the halfway point of the campaign.
Tickets for Weber WBBL and KFC BBL games are on sale now. Get yours at cricket.com.au/big-bash