Irfan Blog: "Irfan's all set for an English Summer"
PakPassion.net has learnt that Pakistan’s towering pace prospect, Mohammad Irfan, has signed a one year deal with Moddershall Cricket Club to take part in the Premier Division of the North Staffordshire & South Cheshire League in the upcoming season.
The 27 year old left-arm paceman is currently attending the pre World Cup training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore with the national team. The training camp runs from 29th March to 19th April and presents Irfan with a valuable opportunity to work with Waqar Younis.
A team mate of Irfan's at Moddershall spoke to PakPassion.net and stated “The season starts on 17th April and we hope that he will be in England for the start of the season. If not the start, then very early into the season. We hope that all of his immigration papers are sorted out as these days the whole immigration process for overseas cricketers is a bit of a nightmare”.
The stint at Moddershall will be Irfan’s first experience of cricket in the UK and with recent temperatures dropping, Irfan would be advised to pack several long sleeved jumpers.
Moddershall, who were crowned league champions in 2008, are looking to strengthen their squad with added bowling options and it is no surprise that Irfan was on their radar. The towering paceman has an outstanding combination of exceptional control and the ability to cause extra trouble for the batsmen with his height. The Moddershall team member is well aware of the talent Irfan possesses and added “we were looking for a fast bowler and got to know about Irfan by looking through the domestic stats for the recently finished season. We also had a contact at KRL who recommended Irfan to us and said he was a standout bowler. “His height will undoubtedly trouble a lot of league batsmen, especially if he can extract extra bounce.”
The North Staffordshire & South Cheshire League, is a top level competition in the North of England and has attracted many Pakistani players over the years. “We've had Imran Tahir play for us twice in the past and guys like Fazal E Akbar have performed really well in this league” stated the Moddershall player. Other Pakistani players taking part in this division for the coming season will be Shabbir Ahmed, Yasir Ali and Saeed Anwar Junior.
“The Premier division is a decent standard” the teammate said “I hope Irfan can adjust to league cricket and the challenges it presents.The stint in England’s premier division presents Irfan with an opportunity to get valuable match experience and will prove to be highly beneficial for Irfan’s career advancement". Apart from spending time on the field, the teammate stated “Irfan will be studying for an ECB Level 2 coaching qualification, so he will need to work hard on his English if he wants to come back to England and play in 2011 and beyond.”
We wish Irfan the best of luck in his stint in England and we hope that day isn’t far when we will see him getting the coveted green cap.