Jarvis happy with Zimbabwe squad recall

LANCASHIRE fast bowler Kyle Jarvis has played down reports suggesting he could return to Zimbabwe this winter to play international cricket.

“It’s flattering being connected with international cricket again,” Jarvis (28) told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“But I’m a contracted Lancashire player until 2018. I’m not looking past that.”

Lancashire last week confirmed interest in Middlesex and England’s Steven Finn.

“We had 28 days’ notice,” head coach Glen Chapple told BBC Radio Manchester.

“He’s in the last year of his contract, but we have not had contact since then. It is very early days.”

Jarvis has won eight Test caps for Zimbabwe, as well as playing in 24 one-day internationals, but ended his international career to join Lancashire in 2013 as a non-overseas player under the Kolpak ruling.

Should he play for Zimbabwe again, he would lose Kolpak status and could only return to Lancashire as an overseas player. After opening the bowling with England’s all-time record wicket taker Jimmy Anderson at the start of the summer, Jarvis’s season was hampered by a broken thumb. But, while Anderson remains away on international duty, Jarvis has continued to do well in tandem with South African Ryan McLaren.

Jarvis has now taken six-wicket hauls in consecutive Lancashire games, including the current Championship match against Warwickshire at Old Trafford – to take his haul to 148 first-class wickets in his 39 matches for the Red Rose since his debut in September 2013.

“I knew I had this to give in my first year,” he said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t go that way. I learnt and I think I became a better bowler for it. These last couple of years have been brilliant.

“Unfortunately I’ve not played the amount of cricket I wanted this year due to a broken thumb and sitting out the T20s but that’s the way it goes.

“My first and main priority is that I want to win Division One. That’s what I’ve always set out to do here. Right now, that’s my focus.

“I’ve won a second division trophy, I’ve won the T20 Blast, but this is the main one. I’d love to win a Championship with Lancashire. We’ve won one in the last 77 years and it would be extremely special.

“Old Trafford is renowned for having a very flat pitch, but we’ve managed to bowl teams out cheaply and I’m very happy. I’m loving my cricket here. It’s a second home to me.” — BBC Sport.