Sohail Tanvir

Sohail Tanvir, a fast-bowling all-rounder emerged on the back of fine performance for Pakistan Academy. Following the footsteps of the great Wasim Akram, Tanvir is also a left-arm speedster, but unlike his mentor, his runup isn’t smooth. He broke various headlines when his wrong-footed leap and delivery stride dismantled various batting lineups. 

Tanvir’s main forte is fast-bowling, however, his first-class stats suggest that the southpaw knows how to grip the bat, while he also knows to bowl occasional left-arm orthodox spin. In 2007, the pacer was named as Shoaib Akhtar's replacement in the inaugural ICC World T20 where he bagged six wickets as Pakistan ended the tournament as runners-up.

The left-arm seamer impressed many former players and pundits, also IPL scouts as the Pakistani bagged a contract by Rajasthan Royals for the inaugural edition of the T20 extravaganza. He topped the wicket-takers chart and helped his franchise in clinching the maiden IPL title. Tanvir bowled the best IPL figures of 6 for 14 against Chennai Super Kings, before they were bettered by Alzarri Joseph in 2019. 

After IPL, Tanvir made his ODI and Test debut in late 2007, but after two Tests, he was type-cast as a white-ball bowler. He was picked for the 2008 Asia Cup where the southpaw registered his maiden fifty against Hong Kong, and later in the tournament, the seamer bagged his maiden fifer, against the eventual winners Sri Lanka. However, as Tanvir’s career started to peak, he suffered an injury in 2009 that required surgery.

The seamer recovered from injury in late 2010 and was selected for the full-fledged tour of South Africa before PCB doctors pulled off his name. Later, he was selected for the World Cup of 2011 but yet again left out of the team, courtesy of PCB doctors. He returned to the squad only on the tour of Zimbabwe in September 2011. Tanvir stayed on the fringes till 2015 but injuries made sure that Tanvir wasn’t the same bowler anymore. 

The pacer went back to the grind of domestic circles to prove his fitness and form. In 2017, he took the most wickets in the Regional One Day Cup, with a total of 15 dismissals to his name. Therefore, the national selectors picked him for the T20I series against West Indies in March that season. He was also the highest wicket-taker in the 2019–20 National T20 Cup. 

Over the years, the Pakistani seamer became a T20 agent and has represented in leagues such as Lanka Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, Caribbean Premier League, and Afghanistan Premier League. He has also had stints with Hampshire, Somerset, and Surrey in county cricket. Meanwhile, he plays for Multan Sultan in his country’s well own Pakistan Super League. 

(As of May 2021)