By Graham Hardcastle
Keshav Maharaj, Yorkshire’s new short-term overseas, says simplicity is the key to his game.
South Africa’s Test left-arm spinner has signed on with the White Rose for the next three Specsavers County Championship matches, starting against champions Surrey at Scarborough from Sunday.
This will be Maharaj’s second taste of county cricket having represented Lancashire in a three-game stint towards the back end of last season, taking 17 wickets, including 11 wickets in the tied game against Somerset on, as he describes, a Taunton “turner” last September.
Having made his Test debut in November 2016 against Australia in Perth, the 29-year-old from Durban has gone on to take 94 wickets from 25 appearances, with a best of nine for 129 against Sri Lanka in Colombo last July.
While Maharaj is not in the all-rounder bracket, he is no mug with the bat. And, like his bowling he says, he does not like to over complicate things.
“I’ve been working hard on my batting during this pre-season,” said the bowler who started his junior career as a fast bowler.
“I’d like to contribute not only with the ball but with the bat. I am a bit of an aggressive batsman and like to move the game forwards.
“With the ball, I don’t have much variation apart from your usual stuff that a spinner would have. But having said that, I rely on my consistency to out-smart batsmen. My ability to read the game has helped me a lot since I started.
“I’m really excited to see where my skills are at, given we’re in our pre-season.”