Zafar Gohar

Zafar Gohar
Gohar bowling for Gloucestershire in 2022
Personal information
Born (1995-02-01) 1 February 1995 (age 31)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
NicknameMastana[1]
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[2]
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingSlow left-arm orthodox
RoleBowling all-rounder
International information
National side
Only Test (cap 241)3 January 2021 v New Zealand
Only ODI (cap 208)17 November 2015 v England
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2016–2017Lahore Qalandars
2018–2021Islamabad United
2019/20–2022/23Central Punjab
2021–2024Gloucestershire
2025Middlesex
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 1 1 97 91
Runs scored 71 15 2,934 1,109
Batting average 35.50 15.00 22.39 18.48
100s/50s 0/0 0/0 1/15 0/5
Top score 37 15 100* 62
Balls bowled 192 60 20,623 4,731
Wickets 0 2 338 128
Bowling average – 27.00 31.59 29.62
5 wickets in innings – 0 22 1
10 wickets in match – 0 4 0
Best bowling – 2/54 7/79 5/56
Catches/stumpings 0/– 0/– 37/– 15/–
Source: Cricinfo, 27 September 2025

Zafar Gohar (born 1 February 1995) is a British Pakistani cricketer who plays for Middlesex.[3] Previously, he played for the Pakistan national cricket team between 2015 and 2021.[4]

Early career

Inspired by former New Zealand international Daniel Vettori and former England international Graeme Swann, Gohar developed through school, club and age-group levels in Lahore before advancing to Pakistan’s Under-19 side. He captained his school team at Central Model High School, Lahore, and later played at Garhi Shahu Club.[5]

Youth career

Gohar has represented Pakistan at U15 and U16 levels under the guidance of coach Shafqat Rana, including selection for the U15 World Cup in the West Indies. At Under-19 level, Gohar featured in the 2012 U19 World Cup in Australia, taking eight wickets in eight matches, and was later named best bowler of a tri-nation youth series in England against Bangladesh and England after taking 18 wickets in seven games.[5]

Domestic career

Pakistan

At domestic level, Gohar has represented Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) Under-19s, where he claimed 40 wickets and scored 450 runs before captaining the side, and later played for their senior team in the PCB Ramadan Cup alongside established internationals including Saeed Ajmal and Imran Nazir.[5]

In September 2019, he was named in Central Punjab's squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament.[6][7] In a Round 8 fixture versus Northern on 10 November 2022, he delivered outstanding bowling figures of 6 for 96 in 31.2 overs, helping Central Punjab dismiss Northern for 333 after being bowled out for 385 themselves.[8] He was named as the player of the tournament.[9] He was retained by Central Punjab for the 2020–21 domestic season.[10]

In December 2021, he was signed by Islamabad United following the players' draft for the 2022 Pakistan Super League.[11]

England

Gloucestershire (2021–2024)

In December 2021, he was re-signed by Gloucestershire for the 2022 season.[12]

Gohar has made notable contributions in English county cricket as an all-rounder, supporting his teams with both ball and bat. While primarily known for his slow left-arm orthodox spin, he delivered standout performances for Gloucestershire, including 47 wickets in the 2022 County Championship, ranking among the top bowlers in Division One.[13] Over his Gloucestershire tenure, he recorded his best innings figures of 6 for 43 and accumulated more than 118 wickets in 34 first-class matches.[14] In addition, he proved valuable with the bat in the lower order, scoring over 2,500 runs in county cricket at an average above 22, including a century.[15]

Middlesex (2025–present)

In November 2024, his dual skill set led Middlesex to sign him as a locally qualified player from 2025, strengthening both their red-ball and white-ball squads.[15][16][17]

Since joining Middlesex, Zafar Gohar has contributed significantly as an all-rounder, with several impactful performances in both the County Championship and the One-Day Cup. In a Championship fixture against Gloucestershire, his former team, he recorded his best figures for the county with 5 for 53, helping set up an innings victory.[18] He also proved valuable with the bat, making several lower-order contributions, including a match-winning six under pressure to defeat Kent at Lord’s.[19] In the 2025 One-Day Cup, he produced an all-round display against Leicestershire, taking 4 for 39 before scoring 48 from 34 balls to keep Middlesex’s knockout hopes alive.[20]

International career

Gohar made his One Day International debut for Pakistan against England on 17 November 2015.[21]

In October 2020, he was named in a 22-man squad of "probables" for Pakistan's home series against Zimbabwe.[22][23] In November 2020, he was named in Pakistan's 35-man squad for their tour to New Zealand.[24] In December 2020, Shadab Khan was ruled out of the first Test match due to an injury.[25] Gohar was added to Pakistan's squad as Khan's replacement.[26] He made his Test debut for Pakistan, against New Zealand, on 3 January 2021.[27]

In January 2021, he was named in Pakistan's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against South Africa.[28] In August 2021, he was signed by Gloucestershire to play for the remainder of the 2021 County Championship in England.[29]

References

  1. ^ "Keep calm and celebrate like a #Prince – The story behind Islamabad United nicknames". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Zafar Gohar Stats, Height, Age, Rankings and Profile – PSL 8 2023". Archived from the original on 26 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Zafar Gohar joins Middlesex as locally qualified player". ESPNcricinfo.
  4. ^ "Zafar Gohar". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Khan, Farid (30 August 2013). "Talent Spotter: Zafar Gohar". PakPassion. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  6. ^ "PCB announces squads for 2019–20 domestic season". Pakistan Cricket Board. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Sarfaraz Ahmed and Babar Azam to take charge of Pakistan domestic sides". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: Central Punjab's Zafar Gohar takes six-wickets". Pakistan Cricket Board. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  9. ^ "Central Punjab blow away Northern to claim Quaid-e-Azam Trophy". Samaa. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Six Cricket Association squads confirmed". Pakistan Cricket Board. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Franchises finalise squad for HBL PSL 2022". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Zafar Gohar re-signs for 2022 season with Gloucestershire". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Zafar Gohar signs new two-year deal at Gloucestershire". Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  14. ^ "Middlesex sign Pakistan all-rounder Zafar Gohar to boost 2025 promotion drive". Guerilla Cricket. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Zafar Gohar joins Middlesex as locally qualified player". ESPNcricinfo. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  16. ^ "ALL-ROUNDER ZAFAR GOHAR JOINS MIDDLESEX". Middlesex County Cricket Club. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Middlesex sign ex-Gloucestershire all-rounder Gohar". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  18. ^ "County Championship Division Two: Middlesex v Gloucestershire, Match Report". ESPNcricinfo. 21 September 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Zafar Gohar discusses life at Middlesex, influential spinners and Cricinfo profile update". Guerilla Cricket. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  20. ^ "One-Day Cup: Zafar Gohar helps Middlesex keep knockout dreams alive". ESPNcricinfo. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  21. ^ "England tour of United Arab Emirates, 3rd ODI: England v Pakistan at Sharjah, Nov 17, 2015". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  22. ^ "Abdullah Shafiq in Pakistan probables for Zimbabwe series". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  23. ^ "Amir dropped, Uncapped Shafique in Pakistan squad for Zimbabwe series". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  24. ^ "Pakistan name 35-player squad for New Zealand". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  25. ^ "Shadab Khan out of first New Zealand Test with thigh injury". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  26. ^ "Shadab Khan ruled out of first Test, Zafar Gohar added". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  27. ^ "2nd Test, Christchurch, Jan 3 – Jan 7 2021, Pakistan tour of New Zealand". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  28. ^ "Mohammad Wasim announces squad for T20I series against South Africa". Geo Super. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Zafar Gohar joins Gloucestershire for remaining County Championship matches". The Cricketer. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zafar_Gohar