Auqib Nabi Shines on County Championship Debut with Wickets for Surrey
Debut Performance in County Championship
In his first appearance in the County Championship for Surrey, uncapped Indian fast bowler Auqib Nabi took a wicket in each innings. Despite not having played for India in any format yet, he has signed on for three matches with Surrey, making his debut against Yorkshire.
During the first innings, Nabi dismissed his teammate Kuldeep Yadav. In the second innings, he bowled out James Wharton.
Match Overview
The match has been characterized by low scores, with no player reaching a half-century. Surrey opted to bowl first, dismissing Yorkshire for a mere 185 runs. Tom Lawes (4/36) and Daniel Worrall (3/40) were the standout bowlers, while Wharton top-scored for Yorkshire with 45 runs.
Surrey struggled in their batting, managing only 83 runs, with Ollie Pope being the highest scorer at 21. This left Yorkshire with a 102-run lead.
In their second innings, Yorkshire was bowled out for just 82 runs, with Matthew Fisher taking six wickets. William Luxton was the only batsman to score more than 20 runs, making 29. Surrey was set a target of 185 runs to win.
Nabi's Career Highlights
Recently, Nabi was called up as a replacement for the renowned pacer Jasprit Bumrah for two Tests against Sri Lanka, but he did not play as India chose Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj instead.
Nabi played a pivotal role in Jammu and Kashmir's historic Ranji Trophy victory. He was also part of the India A team that toured Sri Lanka, where he took six wickets across two first-class matches.
At 29 years old, Nabi claimed 60 wickets during the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, leading Jammu and Kashmir to their first domestic title. He achieved this feat over 10 matches (17 innings) with an impressive average of 12.56, including seven five-wicket hauls, making him the tournament's leading wicket-taker.
Following his outstanding domestic performance, he was acquired by Delhi Capitals for ₹8.4 crore in the 2026 IPL auction. He participated in five matches but did not take any wickets, conceding runs at an economy rate of 11.46.