Zafar Gohar

An orthodox slow left armer, Zafar has come up the ranks by representing Pakistan at every age group level to grab eyeballs of the national selectors. He played in the 2012 and 2014 under-19 world cups for Pakistan. However, 4 wickets from 5 games in the 2012 edition and 8 wickets in the 2014 edition were still not good enough to hand him an automatic selection into the national team. He was groomed further and finally managed to have an ODI debut in 2015 against England.

Gohar has been a very consistent performer in the Pakistan domestic circuit across all forms. Not only is he a genuine wicket-taker, but also has the ability to adapt to the nuances of any particular format. It isn't to score quickly off Gohar as is evident from his economy rates. Even in the shortest format, he only concedes at a shade above 7.5 runs an over while also providing regular breakthroughs. Apart from bowling skills, he is a more than handy batsman who can use the long handle when needed. All this makes him a complete package, be it for white-ball or red-ball cricket.

Gohar could have had a Test debut on the same tour where he played his maiden ODI but reports suggest he had fallen asleep as PCB officials had tried to contact him after Yasir Shah had injured himself. He hasn't represented Pakistan in any format thereafter but is definitely on the radar of the selectors as he is considered a long term prospect by many. Considering the queue of a spinners with batting ability in Pakistan, the competition is bound to be stiff but he certainly has what it takes to be ahead of the pack.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan