Our Pakistani internationals head home

Farewell  to  our  two Internationals - but just for now! 

Moonee Valley's two 2011/12 internationals, Pakistani first-class players Ihtisham Uddin and Nasir Ahmed, have headed back home - but we're already in negotiations to get them back next season.

Ihtsi and Nasir had a delayed start to this season due to visa hold-ups, but they turned around the fortune of our First Eleven when they started playing after the Christmas break, and played a major role in our making the finals.

Nasir is a gun 140kmh left-arm opening bowler and punishing middle order bat, while Ihtisham - who was also at Moonee Valley in 2010/11 - is a No. 3 or No. 4 batsman and wily offspinner.

Moonee Valley is also in discussions with another Pakistani first-class player recommended to us by Ihtisham. He's an opening batsman and a legspinner who has been compared as a bowler to leggie Fawad Ahmed, who played a couple of Twenty20 games with Moonee Valley and took the VTCA Senior Division by storm this season, taking an incredible 58 wickets @ 10.97 - 26 more than the next-best bowler.

Moonee Valley president Charlie Walker said Ihtisham and Nasir had fitted in well with the club and their teammates, and we are keen and hopeful to have them back. They flew out on March 18.

****Pictured above are Nasir Ahmed (middle) and Ihtisham Uddin (right) with First Eleven MVP Amit Chaudhary.