Glamorgan sign Pakistan seamer Mir Hamza and spinner Mason Crane
- Published
Mir Hamza took the prized wicket of Australia great Steve Smith in his most recent Test for Pakistan in January
Glamorgan have signed Pakistan seam bowler Mir Hamza for the start of the 2024 season while spinner Mason Crane has joined on loan from Hampshire.
Left-armer Hamza, 31, has played five Tests for Pakistan and impressed for Karachi Kings in this year's Pakistan Super League T20 competition.
Crane, 27, has made one Test and two T20 appearances for England.
The leg-spinner has not represented his country since 2018 and has not played regularly for Hampshire recently.
Glamorgan have also announced their new captains for the 2024 season, with Sam Northeast succeeding David Lloyd - who is now at Derbyshire - in the County Championship and Kiran Carlson taking the reins in one-day and T20 competitions.
The Welsh county have been keen to add to their seam-bowling options since Australia's Michael Neser left to join Hampshire, while Andrew Salter's retirement left them a spinner short.
Hamza, who played for Sussex in 2019, will be available for Glamorgan's first seven fixtures of the season in County Championship Division Two.
He has taken 434 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of just over 22, and has a similarly strong record in T20 cricket, averaging 29 with best figures of 4-9.
"I am thrilled to be joining Glamorgan for the County Championship this summer," said Hamza.
"It will be exciting to work with Grant [Bradburn, new Glamorgan head coach] again after working with him with Pakistan, and I can't wait to join up with the squad, get to training and help this great club push for a positive start to the season.
"I have heard many great things about Cardiff from my team-mates who played there last summer and look forward to meeting all of the supporters."
Bradburn said: "As coach, I am excited for our group to add such an experienced performer in Mir Hamza.
"Having worked with Mir previously in Pakistan, I have full confidence that he will add huge value to our team both on and off the field."
Crane 'incredibly excited' to join Glamorgan
Mason Crane has played for London Spirit in the Hundred
Crane will be available for Glamorgan in all formats having joined on a season-long loan from Hampshire.
"I'm very thankful for the opportunity at Glamorgan and incredibly excited to get to work and push towards a successful season with the team," he said.
Bradburn added: "Our strategy is to build a balanced squad to enable us to win in multiple ways. Securing a player of Mason's quality and experience will certainly add nicely to that strategy.
"Mason joins us with a strong reputation and first-class record behind him and we aim to provide Mason with the environment and opportunity for him to thrive with Glamorgan.
"We look forward to welcoming Mason to our squad as we look to set a new course for success."
Captaincy roles for Northeast and Carlson
Glamorgan have appointed 34-year-old batter Northeast as their captain in the County Championship after all-rounder Lloyd joined Derbyshire at the end of last season.
"It's a huge honour and a privilege to take over as red-ball captain building on the good work David Lloyd did for the club," said Northeast, a former Kent and Hampshire captain.
"I look forward to working with Grant [Bradburn] and Kiran [Carlson] on getting us into Division One. We aim to play an exciting front-foot style of cricket with a nice blend of youth and experience.
"We can't wait for the season to get going and I look forward to seeing all the Welsh fans in the stadium."
Carlson, who was already Glamorgan's one-day skipper having led them to the One-Day Cup title in 2021, will now also take charge of the team for the T20 Blast.
"I am honoured to be announced as white-ball captain for Glamorgan," the 25-year-old batter said.
"It is an exciting time for the squad and hopefully we can play a really positive brand of cricket that the fans will enjoy. But more importantly, win a lot of games for Glamorgan."