Mohammad Irfan (Punjabi, ; born 6 June 1982) is a Pakistani cricketer who has represented Pakistan in Test, ODI and T20 cricket.
Known for his height of 7'1" (216 cm), he is the tallest player to play first-class and international cricket.
Irfan was born in the village of Gaggo Mandi in Central Punjab into a Muslim Jat farming family, having two sisters and four brothers, the brothers being all over six feet tall while the father is 6’9’’ (205 cm) tall.
Before playing professional cricket he worked in a plastic-pipe factory in order to support his family.
After impressing coaches at the National Cricket Academy, Irfan got several offers from first-class teams including Habib Bank and ZTBL.
However it was KRL opener, Azhar Ali, who convinced KRL coach Rashid Iqbal to give Irfan a trial with Khan Research Laboratories (KRL).
Azhar had seen Irfan take 4 wickets against Pakistan A and had immediately called KRL telling them that Irfan would be a good fit for their team.
Irfan went for the trial and got selected.
2009
He made his first-class debut in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in October 2009 playing for Khan Research Laboratories.
He bowled economically but was unable to take any wickets in a high scoring game.
In his second first-class game, Irfan took 7–113 in the second innings and 9 wickets overall in the match.
His first wicket in professional cricket was of young Pakistani international batsmen Ahmed Shehzad.
He also took the wicket of Imran Farhat and injured Hasan Raza with a bouncer before taking his wicket.
Irfan continued to impress early on in his first-class career.
In his third match, he grabbed 11 wickets to help his side to their first win of the championship.
He recorded 5/27 in the first innings and 6/96 in the second innings.
Before he was offered a lucrative break in cricket, Irfan contemplated giving up the game and was working for a plastic pipe company.
He confirmed his height as 7'1" which makes him the tallest first-class cricketer of all time above county players Anthony Allom, Paul Dunkels and Will Jefferson, each individually measured at 6'10".
2010
Irfan was brought in to replace Pakistan's two prominent and core bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, who were accused of spot fixing in 2010.
This was a perfect opportunity for Irfan to shine for Pakistan as they looked to move forward without their two great bowlers.
However, Irfan's ODI debut against England in 2010 saw a reduction by 9 overs in the match due to bad weather conditions.
He finished the match with bowling figures of 0–37 off 5.3 overs, before going off the pitch with cramps.
During this early stretch in his career, many were displeased by Irfan's performance.
This was mainly due to his speed in the debut series against England; it underwhelmed many as it only showed 130–135 km/h on the velocity radar.
2011
Irfan announced that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to represent them in the 2011 IPL Season.
This deal was to valid only as long as the PCB and the BCCI give their approval.
The main reason for Irfan being given a trial with KKR was because former Pakistani pace-bowler Wasim Akram recommended Irfan to the KKR management.
Irfan's contract was to earn him $75,000 plus another $2,000 dollars for every game he played.
However the contract needed to be approved by the Board of Control for Cricket in India Irfan's contract also required approval from the Pakistan Cricket Board
2018
On 3 June 2018, he was selected to play for the Edmonton Royals in the players' draft for the inaugural edition of the Global T20 Canada tournament.
He was the joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament for the Edmonton Royals, with six dismissals in six matches.
In August 2018, during the 2018 Caribbean Premier League, Irfan conceded just 1 run and grabbed 2 wickets from 4 overs, bowling for the Barbados Tridents against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.
This was the most economical four-over spell in T20 cricket.
In September 2018, he was named in Balkh's squad in the first edition of the Afghanistan Premier League tournament.
The following month, he was named in the squad for the Sylhet Sixers team, following the draft for the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.
2019
In November 2019, he was selected to play for the Rajshahi Royals in the 2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League.
Rajshahi Royals were the Bangladesh Premier League champions that season, and in the final, Irfan took 2/18 in his four over stint.
In November 2021, he was selected to play for the Colombo Stars following the players' draft for the 2021 Lanka Premier League.
Irfan played for Quetta Gladiators in the 2022 PSL.
Irfan worked in a pipe factory, earning just 300 rupees ($3) a week, before being spotted by former first-class cricketer Nadeem Iqbal in a club match, after which he made his debut for the Pakistan national cricket team at 28 years of age.
