Irfan Pathan

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Irfan Pathan

Pathan at a promotional event in January 2013.
Personal information
Full name Irfan Khan Pathan
Born
27 October 1984 (age 29)
Baroda, Gujarat, India
Nickname Guddu
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Left arm fast medium
Role Bowling-All rounder
Relations Yusuf Pathan (half-brother)
International information
National side
India
Last Test 5 April 2008 v South Africa
ODI debut (cap 153) 9 January 2004 v Australia
Last ODI 4 Aug 2012 v Sri Lanka
T20I debut (cap 7) 1 December 2006 v South Africa
Last T20I 2 October 2012 v South Africa
Domestic team information
Years Team
2000present Baroda
2005 Middlesex
20082010 Kings XI Punjab
20112013 Delhi Daredevils
2014-present Sunrisers Hyderabad
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC T20Is
Matches 29 120 94 24
Runs scored 1,105 1,544 3,303 172
Batting average 31.89 23.39 31.45 24.57
100s/50s 1/6 0/5 2/18 0/0
Top score 102 83 121 33*
Balls bowled 5,884 5,855 17,495 462
Wickets 100 173 324 28
Bowling average 32.26 29.72 28.55 22.07
5 wickets in
innings
7 2 17 0
10 wickets in
match
2 0 3 n/a
Best bowling 7/59 5/27 7/35 3/16
Catches/stumpings 8/ 21/ 27/ 2/
Source: Cricinfo, 5 November 2012
Irfan Khan Pathan ( pronunciation (help info); born 27 October 1984) is an Indian cricketer
who made his debut for India in the 2003/04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and was a core member
of the national team until a decline in form set in during 2006, forcing him out of the team. Since
then, he has been in and out of the limited-overs teams (ODIs and T20Is), and has only sporadic
appearances in Test cricket. Pathan played his last Test in April, 2008 at the age of 24.
[1]

Beginning his career as a fast-medium swing and seam bowler, Pathan broke into the national
team soon after turning 19, and evoked comparisons with Pakistan's Wasim Akram with his
promising performances and prodigious swing. He cemented his position in the team and was
named by the International Cricket Council as the 2004 Emerging Player of the Year. Pathan was
instrumental in India's One-day international and Test series wins in Pakistan in 2004. He was
described by the media as the "blue-eyed boy" of the Indian cricket.
[2]
In late-2004 he took 18
wickets in two Tests against Bangladesh, but the start of 2005 he performed poorly and conceded
runs at a high rate, leading to a brief exile from the one-day international (ODI) team.
Immediately thereafter, Australian Greg Chappell, one of the leading batsmen of his time,
became India's coach (2005) and identified Pathan's batting potential. Pathan improved his
batting skills and tried to become a complete bowling all-rounder, and he opened the batting on
occasions in ODIs and scored 93 in a Test match (10 Dec 2005, versus Sri Lanka in Delhi) in the
role after an illness to Virender Sehwag. He made three scores beyond 80 in the space of four
Test innings against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. For the first nine months of Chappell's stint at the
helm, Pathan performed strongly with both bat and ball, scoring runs regularly and frequently
taking top-order wickets. He rose to No. 2 in the ICC's ODI rankings for all-rounders and was
also in the top five in the Test rankings. This led critics to compare him to former Indian pace
bowling allrounder Kapil Dev.
[3]

In early 2006, Pathan became the only bowler to take a Test hat-trick in the first over of the
match (vs Pakistan at Karachi). However, the productive run did not last and after the start of
2006, Pathan began to steadily lose pace and swing, and his wicket-taking dwindled. Although
Pathan's batting continued to be productive, he was not regarded as a specialist and was dropped
from the team in both Tests and ODIs by the end of 2006, and by 2007 was no longer in the
squad.
He returned to international cricket in September 2007 for the inaugural World Twenty20, where
he took three wickets and was man of the match as India beat Pakistan in the final. This earned
him a recall into the ODI team, where he was a regular for most of the next 12 months before
being dropped as his economy rate continued to trend upwards and subsequently struggled with a
loss of form and injuries. In late-2007 Pathan was also recalled into the Test team after 19
months and hit his maiden Test century, but could not maintain his place in the team as his
bowling was not effective enough with only two pacemen needed. Pathan played is last Test for
India in April 2008 against South Africa.
[4]
He continued to perform with both bat and ball at the
domestic level, although his sedate pace is frequently criticized as being irrelevant at the
international level. However, he impressed during the 201112 Ranji Trophy, where he was the
leading wicket-taker, and his performances earned him a recall to the national side again.
[4]

Irfan Pathan, along with players such as Vinod Kambli and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, was
included in the list of "India's lost boys" by Shashi Tharoor.
[5]

Contents
1 Early years
2 Senior beginnings (20012003)
3 Early international career (20032005)
4 Chappell era (20052007)
5 International omission
6 International comeback
7 Back on the fringes
8 Comeback to the national side and knee injury
9 Statistics
o 9.1 Test Centuries
o 9.2 Test 5-Wicket Hauls
o 9.3 One Day International 5-Wicket Hauls
10 Records/Trivia
11 Awards
o 11.1 Test Awards
11.1.1 Man of the Match Awards
11.1.2 Man of the Series Awards
o 11.2 ODI Awards
11.2.1 Man of the Match Awards
o 11.3 T20I Awards
11.3.1 Man of the Match Awards
12 References
13 External links
Early years


Irfan Pathan was born in the western Indian city of Vadodara (former Baroda)
Pathan was born 27 October 1984 in Baroda, Gujarat, India. He grew up with his brother Yusuf
in a mosque in Vadodara, in an impoverished family. His father served as the muezzin. Although
their parents wished them to become Islamic scholars, Pathan and his brother took an interest in
cricket. Their games on the grounds off and inside the mosque often necessitated apologies from
their father to Muslim worshippers who visited it. In the beginning his deliveries did not reach
the other end of the cricket pitch, but rigorous six-hour training sessions in blazing heat and his
family's sense of discipline saw him progress steadily. Under the guidance of former Indian
captain Datta Gaekwad, Pathan rose to get selected in the Under-14 Baroda cricket team, and
when he was selected at Under-15 level to represent Baroda in a national tournament, he was
finally presented with a full set of cricket equipment, having before been restricted to second-
hand gear due to his family's limited economic means.
[3][6]

In December 1997, Pathan broke into the Baroda Under-16 team,
[7]
less than two months after
turning 13. He took a total of 1/35 and scored 1 and 11 against Gujarat and was dropped
immediately afterwards. He did not play again for the Under-16s for two years, and in November
1999, less than a month after turning 15, he made his next appearance, this time for Baroda
Under-19s against Maharashtra. He scored 61 and 9 and took a total of 3/41 in a victory, but was
immediately dropped back to the Under-16s for the next match, and spent the rest of the 1999
2000 season there. He bowled short spells in the younger division, taking four wickets at 38.00
in six matches, averaging less than seven overs an innings. He had more success with the bat,
scoring 253 runs at 31.62 including a best of 72 against Mumbai.
Pathan was then selected for the India Under-15 team in mid-2000 to play a series of matches
against their colleagues from other countries. He took 15 wickets at 12.66 in ten matches,
including a best of 3/2 against Thailand, and scored 15 runs at 7.50.
[7]
India won all but one of
the matches, most by enormous margins.
[7]

At the start of the 200001 season, Pathan was immediately back in the Under-19s, this time
bowling more, often delivering more than 20 overs per innings. In four matches, he scored 102
runs at 102.00 including a best of 63 not out, and took 10 wickets at 32.50. He was then
promoted to the Under-22s, where he scored 44 and took 4/71 in his first match against
Saurashtra, prompting the Baroda selectors to propel him into the senior team.
[7]

Senior beginnings (20012003)
Pathan made his first-class debut against Bengal in March 2001, after fellow left-arm paceman
Zaheer Khan was selected for the national team. He scored 13 not out and 2, and took 3/40 and
2/68 in a 222-run win. However, he was unable to repeat this form in the three remaining
matches, taking only two more wickets in total, but Baroda nevertheless managed to win the
Ranji Trophy. He ended his maiden season with seven wickets at 43.28 and 75 runs at 12.50 with
a best score of 40 not out against Orissa.
[7]

The Ranji win saw Baroda qualify for the following season's Irani Trophy where they took on
the Rest of India. Pathan scored 32 in the second innings and took 3/95 and 1/34 in a defeat,
[7]

but his performance reminded Test batsman V. V. S. Laxman of Zaheer.
[3]
However, he was
omitted from the senior team and sent back to the Under-19s the next week and stayed there for
the next two months, playing eight double-innings matches for Baroda. He took 20 wickets at
20.40, including a best of 6/41 against Gujarat, and scoring 190 runs at 31.66 with a best of 63
not out.
[7]
Pathan was then recalled to the senior team and made his List A debut against
Mumbai, taking 1/69 from nine overs. Pathan further honed his bowling at the MRF Pace
Foundation in Chennai, after being referred by Indian selector Kiran More.
[3]

In early-2002, he was selected for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, where he
took six wickets at 27.50 and scored 30 runs at 15.00, taking 2/18 in a win over South Africa.
[8]

Upon returning to India, Pathan was selected in a senior zonal team for the first time. He was
selected for West Zone for the Duleep Trophy, even though he had not played a single match for
Baroda in the Ranji Trophy season. He immediately repaid the selectors' faith by taking 4/74 and
6/72, his first ten-wicket match haul, in the first fixture against Central Zone, setting up a 161-
run win. In the next match, he took 4/72 and 3/85 as West defeated North by 178 runs.
[7]
He only
took 1/55 in the next match against South but West were through to the final, where he took 4/43
to help cut down East Zone for 162 in the first innings, sealing the title.
[7]
In all Pathan, had taken
22 wickets at 18.22 for the tournament, and scored 46 runs at 11.50.
[7]

These performances propelled Pathan into the India A team at the age of 17 and a half, for a tour
of Sri Lanka, where he took six wickets at 35.00 in three first-class matches. Pathan then went on
an India Under-19 tour of England in mid-2002. He took 15 wickets at 25.93 in the three youth
Tests, which India lost 10, with a best of 4/83 in the Second Test.
[7]
He then took four wickets
at 42.00, conceding more than six runs an over, and scored 66 runs at 33.00 in the three youth
ODIs, which India won 21.
[7]

Pathan was rewarded with selection in the Rest of India team that played against Railways in the
Irani Trophy at the start of the 200203 season. He took a total of 2/84 and scored 29 as the
Ranji champions prevailed.
[7]
He struggled in the Ranji Trophy, taking 18 wickets at 39.33 in
seven matches. Half of his wickets came in one match against Orissa in which he claimed 6/31
and 3/46 in an innings victory.
[7]
He scored 161 runs at 23.00, with a 54 against Tamil Nadu
being his maiden first-class fifty, as well as two other forties.
[7]
Despite a lack of wickets for
Baroda, Pathan was selected for the Duleep Trophy, playing for Elite Group A. He took 5/88 and
4/106 against Plate Group A and 4/101 against Elite Group C, before taking 3/53 and 2/42 as
Elite Group A defeated Elite Group B in the final by seven wickets. Pathan ended the tournament
with 19 wickets at 27.00 and scored 72 runs at 24.00.
[7]
In the one-dayers, Pathan also struggled
for Baroda, taking three wickets at 64.66 in four matches at an economy rate of 4.85, but he was
nevertheless selected for the zonal team, where he took four wickets at 34.25 in four matches at
an economy rate of 3.91.
[7]

In 2003 he was selected for the India A team which travelled to England. Playing in five first-
class matches, Pathan took nine wickets at 43.77, including 4/60 against Yorkshire and 3/83
against South Africa.
[7]
He managed only 8 runs at 4.00 with the bat. He had more success in the
limited-overs matches, taking eight wickets at 11.12 in three matches, including a 4/19 against
Lancashire, and scoring 27 runs at 27.00.
[7]

At the start of the 200304 season, Pathan played in the domestic Challenger Trophy for the first
time. Representing India A, he had little success, taking two wickets at 79.00 at an economy rate
of 5.85,
[7]
and he did not force his way into India's limited-overs team.
[6][7][9]
He was then
selected for India Emerging Players for a series of limited-overs matches against counterparts
from Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Pathan took seven wickets at 11.00 in three matches, including
4/22 and 3/35 in two matches against Pakistan.
[7]

In late 2003, he was selected for the India Under-19 team to compete in an Asian youth ODI
competition in Pakistan, where he was the leading bowler with 18 wickets at 7.38, with an
economy rate of 3.54. This was more than twice that of the second leading wicket-taker. He was
named as the player of the tournament, which India won after defeating Sri Lanka by eight
wickets in the final.
[10]
Pathan was featured on the headlines when he claimed 9/16 against
Bangladesh, helping to bowl them out for 34, and helped India to emerge victorious over Sri
Lanka in the final, taking 3/33.
[11]
Pathan also scored 94 runs at 31.33 with the bat, compiling
scores of 32, 28 and 34.
[7]
Pathan returned to India and took 3/51 and 1/33 and scored 26 and 12
in his first Ranji Trophy match for the season, against Andhra Pradesh.
[7]
This resulted in him
being selected for the Indian national squad for the 200304 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series
in Australia.
[6]