Ahmedabad: Mohammed Irfan, at 7’ 1” the tallest-ever international cricketer, regards teammate Umar Gul as his idol.
“Gul’s the one I have idolised,” Irfan, who had an impact-making T20 debut in Bangalore, told The Telegraph.
Irfan played two ODIs on the scandal-hit tour of England, in 2010, but then went off the radar.
Eye-catching performances in domestic cricket, this season, saw the 30-year-old earn a recall.
According to captain Mohammed Hafeez, Irfan got picked to serve as a “surprise package.”
“The extra bounce which Irfan extracts troubles batsmen... We have given him complete freedom to express himself... We aren’t putting him under pressure,” Hafeez said.
Irfan, a left-armer, averaged over 140 kmph at the Chinnaswamy and has the potential to make even the top-bracket batsmen sweat.
In former captain Ramiz Raja’s view, Irfan should be given the confidence to do it entirely his way, without “fearing” that he could be dropped.
Irfan isn’t a big-city product.
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