Axar to play for Durham in the County Championship Division 2

Axar Patel would be playing for Durham in the County Championship Division 2 and has become the fifth player who has signed for the competition this season.

Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli would also be featuring in the championship.

The Indian all-rounder, Patel signed a six-matches deal with Durham and he would be making his debut against Glamorgan on August 19.

He would then go on to play against Northamptonshire, Sussex, Middlesex, Leicester, and Warwickshire.

The left-arm spinner, who currently represents Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League has taken 79 wickets in 23 matches so far in first-class cricket.

The 24-year old is also handy with a bat as he boasts of an impressive average of 48.45 and has registered one century and ten fifties to his name.

Patel is an integral part of the Indian limited-overs side, but he would be keen on establishing himself in the Test side as he has not featured in the longest format in the game so far.

He currently holds the 14-the position in the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers with 45 wickets from 38 matches.

Durham had earlier signed Proteas opener Aiden Markran for the new season and New Zealand batsman Tom Latham who would lead them in the Royal London One-Day Cup.

Axar would feature for the side after the depart of Tom Latham.