IMRAN Arif has moved a step closer to securing a two-year contract with Worcestershire.

The Pakistan-born seamer signed the deal in the summer subject to him getting his British passport and the player plucked out of the Bradford League is fully expected to fulfil those requirements.

Having lived in England for the past seven years and been married to a British woman, the nippy seamer has now passed his British citizenship test.

The 24-year-old paceman, who finished third in Worcestershire’s first-class bowling averages last season with 22 wickets in six games at 26.13, can now begin the application process for his passport.

“If only it was as simple as driving him to Newport and getting it,” said Worcestershire chief executive Mark Newton.

“But the good news is that Imran has passed his British citizenship test.

“He is on holiday at the moment but he will be back training next month and hopefully the British passport won’t be long in coming. The way that he played last year shows that we might have found ourselves a real diamond.”

When the New Road side signed Arif to play in the first XI after impressing with the seconds, they were forced to register him as an overseas player.

The County’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, wasn’t keen on highlighting Arif’s overseas status when he first signed the player. But, after his impressive debut against Glamorgan when he claimed a five-wicket haul, the former Hanging Heaton bowler was quickly snapped up on a permanent basis after other counties started sniffing around.

The wrapping up of Arif’s contract could be even more vital for Worcestershire following Steve Magoffin’s impressive start to the Sheffield Shield season.

The New Road side look set to bring back the Aussie pace bowler for the start of their assault on LV County Championship Division One next term.

However, following the 28-year-old’s first ever 10-wicket haul in Western Australia’s victory over New South Wales, there have been calls for the rangy seamer to be called up to the national side.

Should the Baggy Green selectors take note of Magoffin’s early-season’s exploits in Perth, then he could follow former Worcester-shire fast bowler Doug Bollinger into the Australia squad thus scuppering any hopes that Rhodes has of bringing the Queensland-born bowler back to New Road.

Bollinger missed out on his Test debut today after Stuart Clark withdrew from the game with India with an elbow injury and, depending on the severity of that problem, the Aussies may look to fly out extra cover.

Magoffin is not building his hopes up too high, however.

“If the time comes and I get the phone call, that would be great but if not, I’ll just keep trying to do my stuff out here for WA,” he said.