Mohammad Irfan facts for kids
Mohammad Irfan in 2010
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 6 June 1982 Gaggo, Punjab, Pakistan |
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| Height | 7 ft 1 in (216 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 212) | 14 February 2013 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 23 October 2013 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 178) | 10 September 2010 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 1 September 2016 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 76 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 50) | 25 December 2012 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 5 November 2019 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2016 | Khan Research Laboratories | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2014 | Multan Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Lahore Lions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Dhaka Dynamites | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Islamabad United (squad no. 76) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017– | WAPDA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Multan Sultans (squad no. 27) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Barbados Tridents (squad no. 27) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Balkh Legends | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Sylhet Sixers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Rajshahi Royals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Peshawar Zalmi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Mirpur Royals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Quetta Gladiators | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Durdanto Dhaka (squad no. 76) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 28 July 2022
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Mohammad Irfan is a former professional cricketer from Pakistan. He is famous for being incredibly tall, standing at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) (about 2.16 meters). This makes him the tallest player ever in both first-class and international cricket! He played for the Pakistan national cricket team in different types of matches, including Test, ODI, and T20 cricket.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Mohammad Irfan was born on June 6, 1982, in a village called Gaggo Mandi in Central Punjab, Pakistan. He has two sisters and four brothers. All his brothers are taller than 6 ft (1.8 m) (1.83 meters). His father is also very tall, at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) (2.06 meters).
Before he became a professional cricketer, Irfan worked in a factory that made plastic pipes. He did this job to help support his family.
Playing for Teams
Starting in First-Class Cricket
Irfan got noticed by cricket coaches at the National Cricket Academy. Several top teams wanted him to play for them. An opening batsman named Azhar Ali saw Irfan play well and told his team, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), to give him a try.
Irfan joined KRL and made his first-class debut in October 2009. First-class cricket matches usually last several days. In his second game, Irfan took 7 wickets in one part of the match, which is a great achievement! He even got the wicket of a young international player, Ahmed Shehzad.
Irfan continued to do well. In his third match, he took 11 wickets, helping his team win. Before he got this big chance in cricket, he almost stopped playing and thought about staying at the pipe factory.
Playing in T20 Leagues
Mohammad Irfan also played in many exciting T20 cricket leagues around the world. T20 matches are much shorter and faster than first-class games.
He was almost signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the 2011 IPL Season. A famous Pakistani bowler, Wasim Akram, suggested Irfan to the KKR team.
Later, Irfan played for the Edmonton Royals in Canada in 2018. He was one of the best wicket-takers for his team there.
In August 2018, while playing for the Barbados Tridents in the 2018 Caribbean Premier League, Irfan bowled an amazing spell. He gave away only 1 run and took 2 wickets in 4 overs! This was one of the most economical (meaning, he gave away very few runs) four-over spells ever in T20 cricket.
He also played in the Afghanistan Premier League and the Bangladesh Premier League. In the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League final, playing for the Rajshahi Royals, he took 2 wickets and helped his team become champions. He also played for the Colombo Stars and the Quetta Gladiators in other leagues.
International Cricket Journey
Early Challenges
Irfan started playing for the Pakistan national cricket team when he was 28 years old. He was discovered by a former cricketer named Nadeem Iqbal. Irfan got a chance to play because two other main bowlers were not available.
His first international match was an ODI against England in 2010. The weather was bad, and the match was shorter. Irfan didn't take any wickets and had to leave the field because of cramps. Many people were not happy with his performance at first because his bowling speed was not very fast. After this series, he was not selected for the team for a while.
Becoming a Star
Irfan made his T20 International debut against India in December 2012. This time, he showed a lot of improvement! His bowling speed was much faster, reaching around 145 km/h (90 mph). His height, combined with his fast bowling, made him a very difficult bowler for batsmen to face. Even famous Indian batsman Virat Kohli was surprised by Irfan's speed.
Pakistan's selectors called him a "surprise package" when the team toured South Africa in March 2013. Irfan caused a lot of trouble for the South African batsmen with his speed and height. He took 3 wickets in the first part of that match.
Suspension in 2017
On March 29, 2017, Mohammad Irfan was suspended from playing all forms of cricket by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). This happened because he did not report two times when people tried to get him to do something wrong during the 2017 Pakistan Super League. He also had to pay a fine. His suspension could be lifted after six months if he helped the PCB with their investigations and followed the rules.
Retirement
Mohammad Irfan announced his retirement from international cricket on December 14, 2024.
