National team pacers Hasan Mahmud and Syed Khaled Ahmed have joined forces as teammates at English county side Kent Cricket. In an official announcement, Kent authorities confirmed the signing of 31-year-old international pacer Khaled Ahmed for the final four matches of the ‘Rothesay County Championship’ in September.
Kent’s Director of Cricket, Simon Cook, confirmed the agreement on Tuesday (September 1, 2026). The decision to sign Khaled came after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) declined a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam due to national workload management priorities. Kent moved swiftly to secure Khaled, an experienced red-ball campaigner with 190 wickets in 70 first-class matches and 18 Test appearances for Bangladesh. Khaled joins fellow Bangladeshi pacer Hasan Mahmud, who joined the club earlier in the summer.
Currently sitting second in Division Two of the County Championship—just behind table-toppers Durham—Kent is pushing for promotion to Division One. Director of Cricket Simon Cook stated that Khaled’s inclusion provides crucial rotation depth and immediate firepower to the bowling attack. The arrival of the Bangladeshi pacers has driven significant engagement among international Bangladeshi cricket fans following Kent’s campaign.
