There's been a great affinity with Pakistani professionals in the NW over the past 35 years - we take a look at six of the best, starting with Wajahatullah Wasti.

Former Brigade captain Mark Simpson reflects on the tremendous impact, the Test star had at Beechgrove.

Wasti arrived at Beechgrove in 2001. He came with a big reputation having played in the Pakistan Test team and the ODI team which met Australia in the 1999 World Cup final at Lords.

He played with us for eight seasons (2001 - 2008) during which time we won the league five times and the Ulster Cup twice.

Wasti was a very quiet guy. He did his talking on the field with his performances. If you check the statistics, you'll see how he was consistently at the top of both the batting and bowling averages in the North West.

His slip catching was also impressive and I used to be amazed how he hit the stumps every time he threw at them in the field. An excellent all round cricketer and probably one of the best cricketers I've seen (along with Hendy Wallace) in my 26 years in senior cricket.

But the thing I liked most about him was his determination to win for the team. A real team player if ever there was one.

He was never worried about losing his wicket in the last over trying to hit big shots. He could time his innings perfectly, knowing when to accelerate and when to consolidate.

He wasn't fond of the Irish weather - but that's not unusual for Pakistan cricketers coming to these parts.

He practiced hard and regularly and believed you get out of the game what you put in. Big North West players like David and Gordon Cooke, Stephen Smyth and Iftikhar Hussain learned from and enjoyed watching and playing with Wasti.

He played many big innings for us including a 300- run partnership with Ifti at Bready in a senior cup game. I remember batting with Wasti in a midweek league game at the same venue. Boyd Rankin was young but was bowling quick in fading light. As I stood at the non-strikers end praying that he wouldn't hit a single, Wasti proceeded to dispose of his helmet and continued to dispose of the ball over the midwicket boundary on a regular basis.

He was a classy batsman but quickly adapted to North West cricket and was often seen down on one knee hitting a 6 over square leg.

A real likeable guy but he was never fond of the limelight. He always laughed when we had banter with him, never complained about anything. It was a real pleasure for me to play with him.