Ambitious Elland Cricket Club sign American all-rounder and agree new streaming service deal

All-rounder Zishawn Qureshi is a household name in the US Open Cricket tournament, the country's leading T20 league, in which he has played alongside the likes of Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.

Qureshi, a destructive middle order batsman and a left arm spinner, should be a valuable asset in the Elland line-up and he said: “I’ve always wanted to play cricket in England, and signing with Elland was a dream come true. Really looking forward to meeting the guys, taking my game to the next level, and playing some quality cricket.”

The opportunity to make the signing arose from a conversation with Maq Qureshi, Zishawn’s father, a multi-millionaire who has contributed financially to the development of cricket in the USA.

He also owns MAQTV, which streams US Open action and will now also live stream Elland's home games to a potential audience of millions through their streaming platforms.

An Elland club statement said: "This signing and opportunity brings with it a lot of optimism and positivity in a time when those two things seem the furthest from anyone’s minds.

"As a club we are heavily invested in providing the best facilities with the best opportunities for growth and development within cricket. This year sees us installing a new scoreboard as well to make improvements to our club infrastructure to ensure we provide the best facilities."

Zishawn Qureshi is not the only new player to be signed by Elland ahead of the 2021 season. Other first team signings include Kaleel Ahmed, from Thurstonland CC, Yorkshire Cricket College students Usman Riaz and Ismaeel Bostan, and Joe Simms, who has signed from Holmfirth CC.