Bangladesh's hard-hitting batter Shamim Patwari has received his first opportunity to play in an overseas franchise league after being signed by Lahore Qalandars for the ongoing Global Super League (GSL) in Guyana. The 25-year-old left-handed batter joins the Pakistani franchise as a replacement for Abdullah Shafiq, who has left the tournament to join Pakistan's Test squad for the West Indies tour.
Patwari was on holiday in the USA with his family when he received the call to join Qalandars. This marks his maiden appearance in a foreign franchise competition. Domestically, he has represented Dhaka Capitals, Chittagong Kings, Rangpur Riders, and Chattogram Challengers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
At Lahore, Patwari will reunite with fellow Bangladesh international Parvez Hossain Emon, who is already part of the squad. Patwari, who has struggled to cement his place in Bangladesh's national team, has already featured in 7 ODIs and 52 T20Is. He has scored 67 runs in ODI at an average of 9.57 and 621 runs in T20I runs at an average of 17.74 with a strike rate of 122.72.
His overall T20 record, however, is more encouraging. Across 146 recognized T20 matches, Patwari has accumulated 2,158 runs at an average of 21.36 and an impressive strike rate of 136.40, including eight half-centuries. Lahore Qalandars have won two of their first three matches in this season's five-team GSL tournament.
Patwari is highly likely to make his debut for the franchise in Wednesday's clash against the San Francisco Unicorns. His inclusion in the Lahore Qalandars squad is expected to add firepower to their batting lineup as they continue their campaign in the GSL.
