Overseas pace bowler Waqas Maqsood continued his great start to his first season in England with a match-winning seven-wicket haul after skipper Kez Ahmed’s double bowling change inspired East Bierley to a 22-run Bradford League home win over Lightcliffe.

The visitors appeared to be coasting to victory in a Division One match reduced to 27 overs apiece due to rain when Ahmed brought back accurate slow left-armer Luke Jarvis and left-arm Maqsood at the other end.

Maqsood, who had taken three wickets in his opening spell – including the free-scoring Charlie Roebuck and Alex Stead, batting with a runner after suffering a calf injury – as Lightcliffe slumped to 26-4 in pursuit of Bierley’s 165-6 total, made an immediate impact by taking the key wicket of overseas all-rounder Suleman Khan to leave the visitors still needing 35 to win.

Khan, caught at mid-off by Yasir Abbas for 75, had transformed Lightcliffe’s parlous position with a fifth-wicket stand of 105 alongside skipper Chris Taylor.

While they were together, the visitors were winning the match, but Khan’s dismissal sparked a dramatic collapse as they lost their last six wickets for a mere 12 runs as Maqsood finished with 7-31 in eight overs.

Jonathan Wilson followed Khan two runs later, lbw to Jarvis, followed one run after that by Matt Taylor, caught by Richard Atkins off Maqsood, who then took the key wicket of opener Taylor lbw for 45 at the same score.

Josh Wheatley became Maqsood’s seventh victim at 143 and Jarvis wrapped up the winnings when he bowled Mark Horne.

Ahmed said: “I needed a change so I brought on Luke Jarvis to slow the scoring rate and brought back Waqas Maqsood.

“I knew if we got a wicket it would change the game and the key wicket was Suleman Khan. Once we got him out we were confident.

“We were struggling during the partnership between Taylor and Khan and I thought they would take the game away from us, although I also thought Khan could get out at any time the way he was playing.

Maqsood, who failed to take a wicket in his first match, has captured 16 in his last three and Ahmed said: “He plays first-class cricket in Pakistan. I wanted a left-arm bowler; something different. He swings the ball back into the batsman.”

Tabbi Bhatti had earlier passed 5,000 Bradford League runs during his innings of 34 but Bierley owed their winning total to Andrew Rennison, who scored an unbeaten 71 off 75 balls – including five sixes and four fours – while Khan took 3-54 with his spin.

A disappointed Taylor said: “I am not happy with some of the shots we have played. We should have walked that game.

“We were in the box seat when Suleman and I were together and then Suleman played a rash shot and the new batsmen had to come in on a pitch that was turning square.

“We all knew that Luke Jarvis was going to be tough to play but as a team we have got to develop better plans to play against spin.”