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LONDON: Former Pakistan spinner Zafar Gohar has emerged as a potential future cricketer for England following his impressive performances in County cricket.
30-year-old Zafar is currently the top-performing spinner in the ongoing County Championship. He represents Middlesex after obtaining British citizenship.
Once considered a promising talent in Pakistan, his international career faced hurdles due to unfortunate circumstances and limited opportunities.
In 2015, Gohar received an unexpected call to join the Pakistan Test squad as a replacement for the injured leg-spinner Yasir Shah.
While he was engaged in a domestic match in Faisalabad, he was instructed to rush to Lahore for a 3 AM flight to the UAE, where the team was set to face England. However, feeling exhausted, he fell asleep and unfortunately missed the flight.
In an interview with the British media, Gohar recalled the incident, mentioning that he had waited until late night for travel details.
“I waited until late at night for travel details, then was told to rest. I could not wake up in time. The next morning, they blamed everything on me. I was devastated,” he explained.
Although he made two additional appearances for Pakistan—one ODI in 2015 and a Test in 2021—he struggled to find consistent opportunities.
Despite impressive county cricket performances, including 47 wickets and 500 runs for Gloucestershire in 2022, the then-chief selector of Pakistan informed him that success in county cricket held no weight in team selection.
After being snubbed from selection, Gohar decided to switch allegiances. With a British passport and no appearances for Pakistan in the past three years, Gohar is now eligible to play for England.
He is already proving his worth, having taken 15 wickets in the first four rounds of the 2025 County Championship season.
“I think I have just reached my prime, and I feel ready to take on this new challenge,” he stated.
“I had heard England was the toughest place for spinners to get wickets but I got wickets. That was the point I decided, right, I am going to take my chance. I know it is a big, big ask to get picked for England, but I love challenges,” he concluded.
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