Irfan’s height may present selection obstacle for SA series

 

At 2.16 metres, Mohammad Irfan is the tallest player in world cricket.

But that will hinder rather than help his cause for selection in the Pakistan Test squad to play South Africa in the United Arab Emirates next month.

Irfan’s towering height makes facing him feel like trying to hit a ball launched from the top of a minaret.

It does not hurt that he is a left-armer, and after spending two weeks with Wasim Akram in April and May he is able to move the ball both ways off the seam.

“He’s intimidating when you see him for the first time, and it’s difficult to prepare in training to face him,” South Africa’s Dean Elgar said. “He hits the deck hard and the ball reacts differently off the pitch compared to shorter bowlers.”

Unleashing all that against South Africa in the Tests in Abu Dhabi and Dubai next month would seem to be a no-brainer.

Not for Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, though.

“There’s a big question mark over playing Irfan in a Test,” Misbah said after Faisalabad Wolves’ Champions League T20 qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday.

“He’s okay for ODIs and Twenty20s, but because of his physique we have to be very careful with him in the longer format.”

Bowling coach Mohammad Akram concurred.

“Irfan is a completely different kind of bowler compared to anyone else, but he’s had a few issues and he has to be fully fit before he comes back to Test cricket,” he said.

The Pakistanis put their money where their mouths are on their recent tour of Zimbabwe.

Irfan played in one of the two Twenty20s and all three of the One-day Internationals, but returned home before the Test series.

He made his Test debut in South Africa last season, and took all three of his wickets — those of A.B. de Villiers, Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn — in the first innings of the second Test at Newlands.

Irfan went wicketless for 35 runs in his 10 overs in the second innings and was again unsuccessful in South Africa’s only innings in the third Test at Centurion.

Elgar, who at 1.73m is 43cm shorter than Irfan, scored three runs from the 11 balls the left-arm lighthouse bowled to him in those two matches.

“Shorter batsmen tend to play off the back foot more anyway, so he could bowl into our strengths unless he bowls a fuller length,” Elgar said.