Zafar Ansari facts for kids

Zafar Shahaan Ansari (born 10 December 1991) is a former British cricket player. He played for Surrey County Cricket Club and the England national team. Zafar was an all-rounder, meaning he was good at both batting and bowling. He bowled with his left arm in a style called "slow left-arm orthodox spin." He also batted left-handed. After his cricket career, he became a lawyer in London.

Early Life and Education

Zafar Ansari's family has roots in Pakistan. His father, Khizar Humayun Ansari, moved to the UK from Sukkur. Zafar also has an older brother, Akbar Ansari, who used to play county cricket.

Zafar started playing cricket at a young age. He joined the Surrey academy system before he was nine years old. He also played for England's national teams for players under 15, under 17, and under 19. He even captained the U15 team.

Besides cricket, Zafar was also a very good student. He earned a special scholarship to Hampton School. Later, he studied politics and sociology at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, which is a famous university. He graduated with top honors. In 2016, he earned a master's degree in history from Royal Holloway, University of London. His master's paper was about an American civil rights group from the 1960s.

Cricket Career Highlights

Playing for Counties

Zafar Ansari began his professional cricket journey in 2010. His first match for Surrey was against Sussex in September 2010. This was a List A match, which is a shorter form of the game.

In April 2011, he played his first first-class match. This was for Cambridge MCCU against Essex. First-class matches are longer, usually lasting several days. In only his third first-class game, he took five wickets for 33 runs. This was against his own county team, Surrey, and one of his wickets was famous player Kevin Pietersen.

In 2014, Zafar scored his first century (100 runs in one innings) for Surrey. This happened in a match against Derbyshire. In the very next first-class match, he took five wickets for his county team for the first time. This was against Leicestershire.

Playing for England

Zafar Ansari made his debut for the England national team in a One Day International (ODI) match. This was on 8 May 2015, against Ireland. However, the game was stopped because of rain.

In September 2015, Zafar was chosen to join the England squad. They were going to play three Test matches against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. But on the same day the team was announced, he hurt his thumb while fielding. This injury meant he could not go on the tour.

Zafar got another chance to play for England in 2016. He was part of the team that toured Bangladesh and India. He made his Test debut for England on 28 October 2016, in the second Test match against Bangladesh. In that game, he took two wickets in Bangladesh's second innings.

He also played in the first two Test matches against India. In the first Test, he scored 32 runs. He also took two wickets in India's first innings. England did not win that match. In the second Test, he did not take any wickets. He then got a back injury, which stopped him from playing any more matches on that tour.

Retiring from Cricket

On 26 April 2017, Zafar Ansari decided to stop playing professional cricket. He was 25 years old at the time. He explained that he did not see himself as a super-successful cricketer like some other famous players. He felt that cricket was just one part of his life. He had other goals and interests he wanted to follow. Two years after he retired, he said he felt happier in his daily life.

Life After Cricket

After leaving cricket, Zafar Ansari started a new career. He worked for "Just for Kids Law," which is a charity. This group helps young people with legal issues like immigration, housing, or school problems. He also worked for another charity called Inquest.

In 2021, Zafar was chosen to be part of an important group. This group is called the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket. It was set up by the England and Wales Cricket Board to make cricket fairer for everyone.

Also in 2021, Zafar became a lawyer. He now works at Blackstone Chambers, which is a well-known law firm.