From a BBC article about Middlesex (my italics):

"So we'll be looking at an overseas fast bowler next year, another fast bowler to strengthen our fast bowling resources, *a young left-arm spinner* and a batsman to add some experience to our youthful batting order."

Link to full story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/middlesex/8267566.stm

Personally, if I was a young cricketer, I'd love to have Lord's as my home ground. Let's just hope I'm being pessimistic.

Or they would be "my italics" if the formatting were working.

Not too sure it would be a a good move for someone like Ajmal or anyone else to be joining a club likely to finish near the bottom of division 2. If Lords is the pull, Middlesex play relatively few games there now that there is so much international cricket played there during the summer.

He has a bright future at Yorkshire as he is already an established community role model and likely to be heading up a battery of quick bowlers next season, hopefully, in division 1. He may well find himself involved with England Lions during the winter!

will be interesting to compare their overseas fast bowler with ours as we are effectively looking for the same player in the same pool of available talent. If they end up with Brett Lee and we end up with Peggy Lee then i think there will be some serious questions asked of our management.

I hope Wainwright is not reading that they are looking for a left arm spinner for next season but assume he is under contract for 2010 with us anyway.

I also wonder how much Gough is influencing the Middlesex approach to Shahzad as he was supposedly helping out their fast bowlers this season.

Lords is a big attraction but I think there is a vast difference between the Lords you experience at a big international game and a cold thursday when its day 3 of an LVCC div 2 game.

Plus our spanking new pavilion at Headingley should be an attraction alone for Shahzad to stay 'oop north'.