Varun Aaron to play for Durham in County Championship
Fast bowler Varun Aaron has become the second Indian cricketer in last two weeks to join a county side in England. The pacer, who turns 25 next month, will be joining the Durham County Cricket Club for the last few weeks of the LV=County Championship.
Aaron has been called up by Durham as a replacement for Australian all-rounder John Hastings, who will join Chennai Super Kings for Champions League T20 starting September 13. He’ll be available to play the last couple of matches against Northamptonshire and Warwickshire.
Capable of bowling 140+ kmph consistently, Aaron was one of the few positives for India in the recently concluded Test series in England where he hurried onto the batsmen.
Included in the side for final 2 Tests, Aaron took 5 wickets, conceding 250 runs and also broke Stuart Broad’s nose by a bouncer in the 4th Test at Old Trafford.
The Jamshedpur lad is currently at the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai, practising under the watchful eyes of Glenn McGrath in a 10-day training programme.
"It's an honour for me to play for Durham,” Aaron said. “I've always wanted to play county cricket in the UK and am looking to play next season.”
“However, I am happy that the opportunity has come sooner and I look forward to joining the rest of the team.”
Durham coach Jon Lewis said he was excited at Aaron’s inclusion in the side.
“He's obviously got some good pace and he's young and keen.
“He didn't start the series (against England) and came into it halfway through and made an impact because he brought genuine pace to their attack, which they didn't really have early on. I'm sure Stuart Broad remembers him!
“It bolsters our seam attack as we are a bit thin on the ground at the moment. The plan is that he'll join us at Lord's and spend a bit of time with us and that'll give him a few days to get ready for the first game.
“We're excited to have him onboard.
Aaron’s move to Durham comes within two weeks after India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara made the move to Derbyshire after a disappointing tour of England.