Tall, pacey, and with a rags-to-riches story that could’ve been a shining beacon of grit and determination for Pakistan cricket, Mohammad Irfan had a lot going for him. However, his international career fizzled out before reaching the stratosphere. Where did it all go wrong?
The third Pakistani cricketer to announce his retirement in the space of 36 hours, Mohammad Irfan played 86 international matches for his country across all three formats. Last playing for Pakistan in 2019, the tall speedster had an inconsistent career riddled with a spate of injuries and struggled to be the leader of his country’s pace attack.
I have decided to retirement from international cricket.I want to express my deepest gratitude to my teammates, coaches,Thank you for the love, the cheers, and the unforgettable memories.and I will continue to support and celebrate the game that has given me everything🇵🇰 zindabad
— Mohammad Irfan (@M_IrfanOfficial) December 14, 2024
Before we talk about Mohammad Irfan, let’s discuss another player. South Africa’s Hashim Amla, one of the modern greats, was in his heyday between 2008 and 2012. The left-hander averaged close to 60 in ODIs and made runs at a 91.72 strike rate, with only compatriot AB De Villiers bettering his numbers during this five-year period.
In 2013, he met Pakistan’s Mohammad Irfan and those numbers took a nosedive. Irfan got rid of Amla five times in eight ODIs while nobody else had dismissed him more than twice before. Amla averaged just 13.8 runs against Irfan that year.
Frequently listed at 7’1” (although sources can vary), making him the tallest international player in history, he entered top-flight cricket out of the blue and seemed to have the number of one of the best in the world. The fact that he managed this feat after a false start against England in 2010 only added to the allure around Irfan.
Humble beginnings
Coming from rural poverty, Irfan worked in a pipe factory before dipping his toes into tennis ball and club cricket. Describing himself as a raw cricketer who took a long time to figure out how to use his height, Irfan only made his first-class debut at the age of 27.
He was thrust into centre-stage after the spot-fixing bans that ended and delayed Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir’s careers respectively, but initially struggled to live up to the responsibility. Irfan went for 15 runs in his first over of international cricket against England, and his premature arrival finished wicketless.
Returning to the fold having worked on his swing, pace, and fitness, Irfan impressed on his “second debut” against India two years later. In the last bilateral series to have been played between the two nations, he dismissed Virat Kohli in Bengaluru. He also scalped three wickets in the ODI series and although Junaid Khan and Saeed Ajmal got better returns, it was Irfan’s disciplined bowling that allowed them to make the inroads.
Despite a stunning century on debut, Fawad Alam only played 19 Tests in 13 years, including 11 years out of the side 😮
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) December 15, 2024
Should he have played more for Pakistan? 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/AR3vDRYyYt
The heights of his career and eventual downfall
A Test debut in South Africa soon followed in 2013, and AB de Villiers became Irfan's first victim in whites. Facing a seven-footer with the red ball might already feel iffy to most batters, facing a seven-footer with the red ball bowling at 140kph was probably terrifying.
Making his Test debut at the age of 30, fate, though had other ideas. Irfan’s body was susceptible to frequent breakdowns and he never managed to cement his place in the longest format. He lasted just four Tests and never played in the format beyond that year.
In the limited-overs formats, Irfan had to take on the thankless role of being the only saving grace for his team on lifeless pitches and with mediocre medium pace surrounding him.
Add to that the repeated shortcomings of the batting unit, and Irfan never quite graced the spotlight. Bereft of big moments and high-voltage snapshots in his career, he also developed the perception of a supporting act to the likes of Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz.
Irfan averaged 23.25 and had an economy of 4.53 in the 2015 Cricket World Cup, in a campaign curtailed by a pelvic stress fracture and yet, his praises were never sung. The return of Mohammad Amir, who also announced his international retirement on the same day as him, pushed Irfan down the pecking order.
The increased demands of fitness in international cricket made Irfan an afterthought. A six-month ban following a failure to report approach from bookies effectively ended his career. The lanky speedster remained out of the fray since 2016 and the two T20Is he played in 2019 were his last appearances on the international circuit.
Franchise cricket and retirement
Since then, he has featured in franchise leagues across the globe. Irfan made T20 history and famously bowled 23 dot balls and took two wickets in a four-over spell in the Caribbean Premier League in 2018. The most economical four-over spell, though, ended in defeat for his side.
He also took 2/18 in the final to help Rajshahi Royals win the Bangladesh Premier League in 2019-20. Mohammad Amir appeared for the opposition Khulna Tigers in that final.
Irfan picked up 10 wickets in 10 matches as Peshawar Zalmi finished runners-up in the Pakistan Super League in 2021. It was from this point that his career started fizzling out. The veteran made just two appearances for Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2022 and he bowled just 17 deliveries for Durdanto Dhaka in BPL 2024, taking a wicket and conceding 24 runs.
On October 9, 2024, Mohammad Irfan, aged 42, registered figures of 2/70 in eight overs for Khan Research Laboratories against eventual champions State Bank of Pakistan. Irfan’s final proper domestic appearance in the President’s Cup would also be a metaphor for his career.
A tightly-contested match lost on the penultimate delivery, the uncertainty of ‘what-ifs’ from that loss also rings loud regarding the potential of his career even as the inevitable death knell has already been sounded. The talent and grit was always there, the ‘what-ifs’? Not quite in place.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
