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Yorkshire County Cricket Club have signed Sarfraz Ahmed on a short-term deal as a replacement overseas player for the outgoing Peter Handscomb.

Handscomb is due to depart the UK after the Vikings’ trip to Trent Bridge on Sunday and will head home for a scheduled week-long training camp in Darwin ahead of Australia’s tour of Bangladesh.

Ahmed is due to arrive in the UK before the end of the month, subject to obtaining a visa. Yorkshire say the Pakistan captain will play the final five qualifying NatWest T20 Blast fixtures, as well as any knockout games.

He said: "I've always wanted to play county cricket so this is an exciting opportunity for me. Yorkshire are a big club with a rich history and huge reputation and I'm proud to be following in the footsteps of other Pakistanis who have played at Headingley like Younus Khan and Inzamam-ul Haq. It’s a dream come true for me and hopefully it can help me become an even better professional."

Joe Root's former school cricket coach, Peter Maw, says he will make an 'excellent leader', whilst the grandfather of the new England test captain says he stopped giving his grandson advice on his batting when he was 11.

The accolades continue to pour in for the 26-year-old Yorkshire batsman, following his appointment as the successor to Alastair Cook.

Don Root says his 'level headed ' grandson seems to be taking the appointment in his stride. And Mr Maw says it is a "reflection of his hard work and ability".