Worcestershire keen to retain Zaheer

London: Impressed with left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan's performance this season, county side Worcestershire are keen to retain him in their squad for the 2007 season.

In the current season, Zaheer has got 69 wickets, with career-best figures of 9-138 against Essex in June.

Considering the club's level of interest on Zaheer, it is unlikely that he would not be in the Worcestershire squad if he is not chosen for India duty.

"I think he has enjoyed every minute but quite understandably he has international ambitions. He wouldn't want to commit at this stage so it is an ongoing thing," chief executive of the club Mark Newton said.

"We will have to see if he gets picked for the one-day series in September with Australia and West Indies in Malaysia in terms of having a good idea of whether he is back in the fold or not."

“In the end we will have to wait for that and then have a conversation about next the season," he added.

Newton said the club was impressed that Zaheer performed well and had no injury problems.

"He has produced the goods on the field and off the field he is a super bloke to deal with. He is no hassles, he does the job and hasn't had any injury problems. What more do you want from an overseas player?"

Zaheer Khan has so far played 42 Tests and 107 one-day matches for India.

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