Photo Credit: Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Yadvinder Singh says it is a dream come true to become the second member of the South Asian Cricket Academy to sign a professional contract with Worcestershire.
The pace bowler, who celebrated his 28th birthday last Thursday (January 18) has emulated batter Kashif Ali in putting pen to paper at New Road after an impressive trial period.
Rajasthan born Singh has played Seconds cricket for Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Somerset, Derbyshire, Surrey and also two spells with Worcestershire in 2019 and 2022.
But Worcestershire are the first county to offer him a pro deal, and Yadvinder is determined to make the most of his opportunity.
He was a key member of the Moseley side which won the Birmingham and District League Premier Division One title last summer with 39 wickets at an average of 16.10.
He said: “I’m delighted. It’s a dream come true. I’m really pleased that Worcestershire are showing this trust in me by giving me a contract.
“I’ve been trialling around for several years with different counties, playing Seconds cricket and club cricket in between going back home to India.
“But I never gave up hope. Since I can remember, I always had a dream that I wanted to be a professional cricketer.
“There was no Plan B. I knew in myself that I could do this, that I could play and now I’ve got to try and make the most of this opportunity.
“I just kept believing in myself and signing that contract was one of the best days of my life.”
Yadvinder, who did not play cricket until he was 17, added: “SACA is so good for giving people an opportunity, another chance, and it’s great that Worcestershire have got this strong link with them.
“I believe they were the first county to play them in a fixture and was aware of what Kashif had done, and that he became the first SACA player to sign a pro contract when he joined Worcestershire.”
“Tom Brown (SACA Managing Director) said to me that Worcestershire needed a seamer and wanted me in for some training sessions.
“I met Kadeer Ali a couple of times and said he would get me in after Christmas to train. Tom Brown had a chat with Ashley Giles about me and Richo had seen me a couple of times.
“We had this meeting where they wanted to get to know me a bit better and that went really well and the contract offer was amazing for me.
“I’m hungry to lean and to try and make a big impression. I want to grab this opportunity to hopefully have a long career.
“I want to aim at the top and that is going to keep me going. It’s about just sticking to what I’m good at, keep bowling every ball top of off stump.
“Sometimes I was almost trying too hard because you don’t know how many trial games you are going to get.
“But you have to get the basics right. I’m not the quickest but, with the control of the ball in my hand and trying to swing both ways, I hope I can contribute.”
Ashley Giles, CEO of Worcestershire, remarks on Singh’s addition, “We are thrilled to have Yadvinder Singh join us. His path to professional cricket is truly inspiring.
“Yadvinder’s skills and unwavering dedication are in perfect alignment with our mission of embracing diverse talents. He is undoubtedly a valuable addition to our squad.”
