Lancashire have signed 39-year-old Pakistan left-arm spinner, Noman Ali, for the remainder of their County Championship campaign.
Noman's six-match stint with the North-West county will coincide with Pakistan's Test match tour of England, which begins later this month, and he will be available to provide bowling cover for that series.
Having made a comeback in Pakistan's Test team in late 2024 during their series against England, Noman rose to No.2 in the ICC Test bowling rankings last October. He took 20 wickets during the final two Tests of England's series in 2024, inspiring a comeback which saw Pakistan win the series from 1-0 down. He also became the first Pakistan spinner to take a hat-trick during their series against West Indies in 2025, and took a 10-wicket-haul in Lahore last year.
Lancashire Cricket can confirm the signing of Pakistan spinner @Ali17Noman for the remainder of this year's @CountyChamp season!
— Lancashire Cricket (@lancscricket) August 6, 2026
🌹 #RedRoseTogether
However, Noman was dropped during Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh earlier this year. He took four wickets and conceded 156 runs during Pakistan's first Test of that series, and was dropped for the second Test in Sylhet.
He wasn't named in their squad of 22 players who took part in a red-ball training camp the following month, and hasn't been included in Pakistan's Test squads for their series in West Indies or in England. He has been replaced in the side by Ali Usman, who took six wickets in their win against West Indies in Port of Spain this week.
Noman set to bolster struggling Lancashire
Noman's signing aims to bolster the end of a difficult County Championship for Lancashire. They currently sit seventh in the Division Two table, having managed just two wins from the first eight matches of the season. Noman will bolster an inconsistent spin attack which has seen Tom Hartley, Arav Shetty and Liam Livingstone used as frontline options.
Lancashire's director of cricket, Mark Chilton, said: "Noman is a hugely skilful and experienced spin bowler, and we're delighted to bring him to Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground for the County Championship run in.
"His record speaks for itself with the red ball - particularly for Pakistan over the last couple of years - and we believe his experience and know-how will make a real difference to us in these final six Championship games."
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