Yorkshire County bowler Moin Ashraf joins East Torrens Cricket Club for five-week stint

THE SA connections of former Test paceman Jason Gillespie have led Moin Ashraf to East Torrens District Cricket Club.

THE SA connections of former Test paceman Jason Gillespie have led Moin Ashraf to East Torrens District Cricket Club.

Ashraf, a 22-year-old Yorkshire fast bowler, arrived at the Reds last month for a five-week stint aimed at rejuvenating his cricket career.

It came after he spoke to Gillespie, his coach at Yorkshire, about playing Down Under during the County off-season.

Despite being an Adelaide Buffalos great, “Dizzy” arranged for Ashraf to join East Torrens through Jason Gillespie Centre managing director and Reds cricket director Paul Tregloan.

“At the end of the season I thought Australia would be a nice place to go in terms of growing up as a man and trying to develop my cricket,” Ashraf says.

“Dizzy sent me a text one day, asking if I’d like to play Grade cricket in Adelaide.

“He said they’d treat me well and that’s been the case.”

Bradford-born Ashraf was destined to play cricket when his father, Mohammed, named him after long-time Pakistan wicketkeeper Moin Khan.

“I was too tall to become a keeper.

“The lads I looked up to when I was a young boy going to watch Yorkshire play were Darren Gough and Waqar Younis.”

Ashraf started playing for Yorkshire’s schoolboys at 15 and made his first-class debut in 2011.

During the 2011/12 off-season he spent time at an English fast bowling camp in India, where he was mentored by Dennis Lillee.

Ashraf says the experience was invaluable but lately he has struggled for consistency.

“Last year was a bit up and down and I don’t think I hit my peak at all.

“I chose to come to Adelaide to hit the ground running because in the past few seasons I’ve been a really slow starter.”

Ashraf finished with match figures of 6/37 in his A grade debut as East Torrens beat Southern District outright on February 22-23.

He will play his last match for the Reds this Saturday (March 8) before joining Yorkshire’s preseason training in the Caribbean.