In this exclusive interview, Azharullah, one of Yorkshire’s high-performance coaches, shares insights on his role in developing the county’s next generation of fast bowlers. The former first-class cricketer reflects on structural gaps in PCB’s development system, Yorkshire’s cultural transformation, his mission to unlock Asian talent in county cricket — and much more.

By Saj Sadiq (August 15, 2025)

Key revelations include:

Azharullah's Career

• He had a 14-year first-class career in Pakistan and England, where he took 383 wickets.
• He played club cricket in North England before joining Northamptonshire, and was part of the T20 blast-winning squad.
• He did not have a conventional path to first-class cricket, as he did not play any under-19 or representational cricket until he was an adult.
• He attributes his success to his resilience and a never-give-up attitude.

Coaching at Yorkshire

• He is a high-performance coach and leads the fast-bowling program for players from age 13 up to the academy level, until they earn professional contracts.
• He also identifies new talent, even as young as 10 and 11 years old.
• When identifying talent, he looks for fundamentals like pace, swing, lateral movement, and bounce.
• He explains that Yorkshire has a culture of deep cricket and a strong network for identifying and nurturing talent. In the last year, over 1,400 kids came for observation, and they create a competitive environment for them.

Comparison of Cricket Systems

• He compares the cricket systems in England and Pakistan, stating that the English system is very structured with a long-term player development program, while the Pakistani system is not.
• In England, they train players through the winter from November to March and have a structured program of fixtures.
• He notes that Pakistan has not invested in long-term player development, coach education, or sports science, and their domestic cricket is not consistent.

Inclusivity at Yorkshire

• He discusses the efforts Yorkshire is making to increase the number of Asian cricketers in their system.
• He has worked to identify why they were missing out on talent from the Asian community and has increased transparency and inclusion.
• He states there has been a 40% increase in kids from the Asian community, with several players, like Jajakas and Yash, being signed.
• He mentions that Yorkshire's new team, led by Darren Gough and Otis Gibson, has made a conscious effort to make the club more inclusive following the Azim Rafiq affair.

Future Plans

• He is currently developing himself by learning about white-ball cricket, data, science, and injury prevention, and is ready to step up to a franchise or a bigger role in county cricket.

Watch full interview with Saj here:

https://youtu.be/7CN0wbJJWEQ?si=9byltzJeeGlnSE01