Zulfiqar Babar facts for kids
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| Born | 10 December 1978 Okara, Punjab, Pakistan |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Slow left-arm orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 215) | 14–17 October 2013 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | Oct 30 - Nov 3 2016 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 198) | 7 October 2014 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 22 April 2015 v Bangladesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 52) | 27 July 2013 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 1 April 2014 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 78 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–Present | Water and Power Development Authority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2010 & 2013-2015 | Multan Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Quetta Bears | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Quetta Gladiators (squad no. 78) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Karachi Kings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 21 March 2018
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Zulfiqar Babar (born December 10, 1978) is a former Pakistani cricket player. He was a bowler who played for the Pakistan national cricket team from 2013 to 2016. He was known for his slow left-arm spin bowling.
Contents
Zulfiqar Babar: A Cricket Star
Early Career and Hard Work
Zulfiqar Babar faced challenges early in his cricket journey. Even without the best training places, he was very determined to succeed. He always worked hard to take many wickets in games, which kept him noticed by selectors.
In the 2009-2010 Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, he took 69 wickets. This showed he was a strong player. Later, in the 2012-2013 season, he took an amazing 93 wickets in 13 first-class games. His excellent performance made it impossible for the national team selectors to ignore him.
He proved himself even more in October 2013. In a practice game, he took 6 wickets for only 22 runs. This helped him get a chance to play for Pakistan. In the first Pakistan Super League in 2016, he and Grant Elliot made a record. They had the highest 10th wicket partnership in any T20 game, scoring 63 runs together. He was also the top wicket-taker for his team, Water and Power Development Authority, in the 2018-2019 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He took 31 wickets in six matches.
Playing for Pakistan
T20 International Debut
Zulfiqar Babar made his first T20 International (T20I) appearance on July 27, 2013. This was against the West Indies. He was 34 years old at the time, making him one of the oldest Pakistani players to debut in T20Is. He believed it was his destiny to play for Pakistan at that age.
In his very first T20I game, he took 3 wickets for 23 runs. He was the best bowler for his team in that match. He also scored 13 runs without being out and hit a six on the last ball. This helped his team win by two wickets. In the next game, he scored 11 runs and took 2 more wickets. He ended up taking the most wickets in that series and was named "Man of the Series."
Test Cricket Success
In October 2013, Babar was chosen for the Test squad to play against South Africa in the UAE. He played in the Abu Dhabi Test. In the first part of the game, he took 3 important wickets. These included JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, and Robin Peterson. In the second part, he took the wickets of Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn. His excellent spin bowling helped Pakistan win the match by seven wickets.
He was also part of Pakistan's team for the World T20 in 2014. In a match against Australia, he took the wickets of David Warner and Shane Watson in the very first over. Pakistan won that match by 16 runs.
One Day International Debut
Zulfiqar Babar played his first One Day International (ODI) match for Pakistan on October 7, 2014. This game was against Australia in the United Arab Emirates.
Life Outside Cricket
Zulfiqar Babar comes from a small town called Okara, which is about 85 miles from Lahore. He was the first person from Okara to play for Pakistan in 65 years. His father, Abdul Ghaffar, was a former Pakistani international footballer. However, his father never pushed him to play soccer, knowing Zulfiqar's love for cricket. Zulfiqar Babar now has two grandsons who are also interested in cricket.
