DERBY: Pakistan spinner Subian Muqeem has rejoined Derbyshire Falcons for the rest of the men’s Vitality Blast for 2026 after replacing Afghanistan’s Mohammad Ghazanfar.
Ghazanfar had to return to the Falcons ahead of Sunday’s match against Yorkshire. However, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) withdrew his availability to manage his workload, resulting in the cancellation of his stint with the county team.
Mukeem comes after a successful 2026 Pakistan Super League (PSL) campaign where he finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker and played a key role in Peshawar Zalmi lifting the title.
He joins fellow Pakistan international Akif Javed, while Caleb Jewel completes the Balkans’ overseas squad for the T20 tournament.
Speaking about the deal, Derbyshire Cricket chairman Mickey Arthur acknowledged the challenges of securing overseas players in modern cricket, where international commitments and franchise rivalries often overlap.
Arthur explained that maintaining strong relationships and acting quickly were key factors in bringing Muqeem back to the club following Ghazanfar’s departure.
“The nature of signing foreign players, multiple T20 leagues and international series going on at the same time means you can adapt and use your contacts to make the best of the situation,” said Arthur.
“When we got the news that Mohammed would not be joining us, it was a blow, but we had a good relationship with Subian’s camp from our first dealings with him and we moved quickly to close a deal,” he added.
Arthur praised the young spinner’s rapid development and was confident he would add another dimension to Derbyshire’s bowling attack.
“Sufian is a rising star in Pakistan. He has improved rapidly over the last two years and he will bring something completely different to our attack. I am very happy to welcome him to Derbyshire,” he concluded.
Notably, the remaining phase of Vitality Blast will resume on Friday and continue till July 18.
Derbyshire have played 8 matches so far and have won 2 and lost 6. They are currently fourth in the North Group standings with eight points and a net run rate of 0.630.
The Falcons are scheduled to face Yorkshire at Chesterfield on June 28, before taking on Lancashire in Derby on July 1 and Manchester on July 6.
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