Saqlain eyes England cap

Former Pakistan offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq has announced his desire to play for England when he qualifies in April. Saqlain, 31, has been playing county cricket for Surrey and Sussex since 1997 and is the holder of a British passport through marriage.

“If they [England] call me, definitely I’ll play,” said Saqlain to BBC London. “I’ve been discussing with my family and friends and they’ve all been saying ‘Saqqy, if they give you the chance, definitely go for it’.”

Saqlain played the last of his 49 Tests for Pakistan in 2004. He then suffered a serious knee injury that kept him out of cricket until the following year. Since then Shoaib Malik and Danish Kaneria have taken over the spin duties for Pakistan, denying Saqlain a recall.

To date Saqlain has taken 208 Test wickets with 13 five-wicket hauls and 3 ten-wicket hauls. His one-day international is even more impressive, 288 wickets at 21.78 apiece and an economy rate of 4.29.

“To be honest, I love my cricket and I want to play at the highest level,” said Saqlain.

He played with Surrey for eight seasons, then joined his countryman Mushtaq Ahmed at Sussex in 2004. In October last year, Saqlain returned to Surrey.

“If England needs you and asks you and you can’t play with that passion, that’s wrong. [But] If I’m playing for a national team, for a country, I don’t want to lose,” he said.