History-maker Hasan signs for the Spitfires

The 26-year old bolsters a perennially struggling seam department ahead of Friday’s Rothesay County Championship game with Lancashire at Blackpool.

“I am honoured to have the opportunity to play county cricket for a historic club like Kent,” he said. "Playing county cricket is a dream come true, and it's a proud moment not only for me, but also for everyone back home in Bangladesh.”Hasan’s signing had been rumoured for a while, but the deal was finally confirmed on Tuesday, and the news sparked excitement back home.

“They're very excited to see a Bangladeshi player to play in England in county,” he said. “I'm the second one to play in county cricket after Shakib Al Hasan. so they're very excited to watch me here."

Shakib was indeed a pioneer, playing for Worcestershire in 2020-11 before making a controversial one-off appearance for Surrey in their title showdown with Somerset in 2024, although Mustafizur Rahman and Tamim Iqbal had brief, limited overs spells with Sussex and Essex respectively, while Arafat Bhuiyan, who played for Kent in 2024 was born in Dhaka.

Hasan will, however, be the first Bangladeshi seamer to play on the English domestic circuit, strengthening a department where Kent have had well-documented problems. The cupboard might not be quite as bare as it’s been in previous seasons, but Matt Quinn is still recovering from injury and although James Taylor starred during his two-game loan spell from Surrey, he did so well that his parent club recalled him for this week’s red-ball game with Hampshire.

With Matt Milnes and Keith Dudgeon having already dealt with what Director of Cricket Simon Cook calls a “significant workload” this season, and with overseas spinner Senuran Muthusamy not arriving until August 1st, the move made sense for all parties.

PROMOTION PUSH

“He’ll be adding international pace to our attack for the conclusion of the season,” Cook said. “Hasan’s arrival reinforces the strong foundations we’ve built within the squad and gives us the opportunity to approach our remaining Championship matches with fresh energy, to push for promotion. He adds another, quality bowling option for us.”

Hasan has made 65 international appearances for Bangladesh across all formats and although 52 of these were in white ball games, a far higher percentage of his 97 wickets has come in his 13 test matches, where he’s taken 36 at an average of 30.3.

He has two five-wicket hauls, a career best 5-43 against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2024 and 5-83 against India in Chennai the same year when he became the first Bangladeshi to take five test wickets on Indian soil.

"Nor were his victims rabbits: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gil, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah all fell in a remarkable innings ..."

Nor were his victims rabbits: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gil, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah all fell in a remarkable innings when all ten of India’s batters were out caught.He’s already looking forward to bowling in English conditions.

The forecast for Blackpool predicts overcast, blustery conditions on days one and two and even on a warm day Stanley Park is likely to offer more help to seamers than the average sub-continental track. “I enjoy bowling with the wind and I’m enjoying the weather,” he said. “The very green pitches get more swing and I’m going to enjoy it. As a player I always look to play positively and give my best to the team, so I’m really excited.”

The St. Lawrence slope should also help. The first chance Kent fans will get to see him at home will be when Middlesex arrive for the 174th Canterbury Cricket, which starts on June 19th. “I've seen last game in Canterbury and I saw the ground full of crowds, their supporting fans were very happy,” he said. “So I'm very excited to play in front of a big crowd in Kent.”