Glamorgan have strengthened their bowling attack for the business end of the season, bringing in New Zealander Ray Toole alongside the returning Pakistan international Mir Hamza for the final stretch of their County Championship campaign.

Left-arm seamer Toole, 28, arrives on the back of a stellar season in New Zealand’s domestic competition, where he topped the wicket-takers’ charts in the 2025-26 Plunket Shield.

He claimed 35 wickets in eight matches for Central Districts, with 24 of those coming in his last four outings alone.

Toole is poised to make his Glamorgan debut against Leicestershire at Grace Road on Thursday, 20 August, as the county look to build on their current fourth-place standing in Division One.

He joins fellow left-arm quick Hamza, who has rejoined Glamorgan for the final five games of the year, though the Pakistan seamer won’t link up with the squad until next week.

Hamza, 33, has won seven Test caps for his country and previously spent the first six matches of the 2024 season with Glamorgan, taking 12 wickets at an average of 35.

He has also had spells at Warwickshire and Sussex during his time in county cricket.

Glamorgan director of cricket Mark Wallace welcomed both additions, highlighting the value of having two bowlers with similar skillsets available as the club looks to manage its resources through a demanding run of fixtures.

“Ray Toole is a player with a similar skillset to Mir, who has been playing in our second XI off the back of an excellent domestic season in New Zealand,” Wallace said.

“To be able to call on him during this block as we try and manage workloads with six games in six weeks is going to be really beneficial for us.”

On Hamza’s return, Wallace added: “We’re delighted to have Mir rejoining us for the last five games of the year.

“With such a busy international calendar and domestic seasons restarting in the southern hemisphere, there is limited availability at this time of the year, so we’re lucky to be able to call on a player of Mir’s quality for the run in.”

The pair take Glamorgan’s overseas contingent for the 2026 season up to five, joining South Africa batter Colin Ingram in the squad, though rules restrict clubs to fielding just two overseas players in any single Championship match.

New South Wales paceman Ryan Hadley had filled the overseas bowling slot for the first eight Championship fixtures, but limited availability for Australian players in the UK during August and September due to domestic commitments opened the door for Toole and Hamza.

Elsewhere in the summer, Afghanistan quick Fazalhaq Farooqi, New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham and Australian seamer Nathan McAndrew all featured for Glamorgan during the T20 Blast.

Toole, who was born in South Africa to British parents, is no stranger to county cricket, having previously turned out for Essex and Durham.

He boasts a first-class record of 150 wickets from 48 matches at an average of 27, and has already had a taste of action for Glamorgan’s second XI, taking six wickets in a match against Worcestershire the week before his expected first-team bow.

Glamorgan currently sit fourth in the Championship table heading into the final block of six matches, with the county on course for its best finish since the competition was split into two divisions back in 2000.

They begin the run-in against Leicestershire at Grace Road from Thursday, with Hamza set to join the squad ahead of the following week’s home fixture against Hampshire.

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