Fawad Alam

Fawad Tariq Alam (Urdu: فواد عالم, born 8 October 1985) is a Pakistani cricketer who plays for Sindh and Pakistan national cricket team. He came back into Pakistan's test team after a gap of 88 tests and more than 10 years, second longest gap by a Pakistani in test cricket after Younis Ahmed’s 104 tests gap.[3]

Fawad Aalam
فواد عالم
Fawad in 2010
Personal information
Full nameFawad Alam
Born (1985-10-08) 8 October 1985
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingSlow left-arm orthodox
RoleBatting All-Rounder
RelationsTariq Alam[1] (father)
Mansoor Akhtar (father-in-law)[2]
Waheed Mirza (uncle)[2]
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 196)12 July 2009 v Sri Lanka
Last Test4 February 2021 v South Africa
ODI debut (cap 156)22 May 2007 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI22 April 2015 v Bangladesh
ODI shirt no.25
T20I debut (cap 20)4 September 2007 v Kenya
Last T20I26 December 2010 v New Zealand
T20I shirt no.25
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2003–2006Pakistan Customs
2004-2015Karachi Dolphins
2006–2007Karachi Harbour
2006–2015/16National Bank of Pakistan
2012–2013Duronto Rajshahi
2016Karachi Kings
2016–presentKarachi Blues
2016/17–2017/18Sui Southern Gas Company
2019–presentSindh
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 8 38 167 203
Runs scored 513 966 12,265 6,577
Batting average 39.46 40.25 56.52 48.71
100s/50s 3/0 1/6 34/60 8/40
Top score 168 114* 296* 149
Balls bowled 72 398 4,426 4,327
Wickets 2 5 50 89
Bowling average 23.00 75.40 42.38 40.48
5 wickets in innings – 0 0 1
10 wickets in match – 0 0 0
Best bowling 2/46 1/8 4/27 5/53
Catches/stumpings 3/– 10/– 83/– 80/–
Source: ESPN CricInfo, 4 February 2021

Born in Karachi,[4] he plays primarily as a left-handed batsman but also bowls slow left-arm orthodox. Fawad made his Test debut in 2009, playing in three matches. After a gap of more than ten years, he played Test cricket again for Pakistan, against England, in August 2020.[5] Fawad currently plays for Pakistan test team only.

Early life and family

Fawad Alam comes from a cricketing family and was born to a Pakistani first-class cricketer Tariq Alam.[2] His paternal uncle, Rafat Alam, and maternal uncle, Waheed Mirza, played first-class cricket for Pakistan.[2] He is also a cousin of the English Test cricketer Usman Afzaal.[2]

In November 2011, he got married to the daughter of a former Pakistan Test cricketer, Mansoor Akhtar in Karachi.[6]

Career
Fawad Alam batting against Somerset during the 2010 tour of England.

After Pakistan's disappointing World Cup campaign, Alam was drafted into a 16-man squad for a One Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi. On debut he was out for a first ball duck. His second ODI was a better experience, as he contributed 32 unbeaten runs down the order as Pakistan beat India by 31 runs in Jaipur.

In between those two matches, he travelled to South Africa as part of Pakistan's squad for the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 tournament. He played in the semi-final, taking two wickets against New Zealand, as Pakistan progressed to the final, for which he was not selected. In the Asia Cricket Cup in June 2008, he scored his maiden international half century against Hong Kong. He was subsequently dropped for the Sri Lanka series in January 2009.

In October 2008, he was selected for the quadrangular Twenty20 International tournament to be played in Canada between Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and hosts Canada. In the fourth match of the tournament, he hit 23 not out from just eight balls with three sixes and took a wicket. In the next match against Zimbabwe, he took three wickets for seven runs from 3 overs.

2010

Fawad was picked to tour England in 2010. He played club cricket in England to help him get used to the conditions.[7] Fawad scored well in the first two matches but his major break came in the third ODI when he increased his top score to 64. He retained his place for the ODI series against South Africa in the UAE. After scoring 123 runs in the 5 match series, he was subsequently dropped from the ODI team and later that year, lost his place in the T20 team after the tour to New Zealand.

Asia Cup 2014: Return

After being dropped from all formats for three and a half years, his impressive displays domestically (most notably being the top run scorer in the President's One Day Trophy in the season 2013/14) earned him a recall to the national side for the Asia Cup in 2014. His first match after his recall was against the host team Bangladesh, deputising for the injured Sharjeel Khan. He contributed significantly to the team's victory, scoring 74 runs from 70 balls in a competitive chase of 326. He continued his form by scoring his maiden international ODI hundred (114 not out) against Sri Lanka in the final, rescuing his side from 18/3 to 260/5 with the help of Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal. His effort was not enough though as Sri Lanka successfully chased the target to become the champions of the 2014 Asia Cup.[8]

2017 onwards

In 2017, Fawad signed to play as a professional for Clitheroe cricket club in the Lancashire League (cricket). In April 2018, he was named the vice-captain of Sindh's squad for the 2018 Pakistan Cup.[9][10] In March 2019, he was named in Baluchistan's squad for the 2019 Pakistan Cup.[11][12]

In September 2019, he was named in Sindh's squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament.[13][14]

Test career

In July 2009, Fawad became the first Pakistani cricketer to score a Test century on debut away from home, and the tenth to score a century on debut, scoring 168 runs in the second innings of the second Test against Sri Lanka. In a partnership of 200 runs with captain Younus Khan for the second wicket the pair broke the previous record of 151 runs between Mohsin Khan and Majid Khan at Lahore in 1981–82. It was also highest partnership for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.[15] However, just two Test matches later, he was dropped from the team.

In December 2019, after a gap of more than ten years, Alam was named in Pakistan's Test squad, for the two-match home series against Sri Lanka.[16] In June 2020, he was named in a 29-man squad for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic.[17][18] In July, he was shortlisted in Pakistan's 20-man squad for the Test matches against England.[19][20] In August, Alam played in the second Test against England, after a gap of 10 years and 258 days since his last Test match appearance.[21] In the first innings, he faced four balls before being dismissed for a duck.[22]

In December 2020, Alam was named in Pakistan's Test squad for their away series against New Zealand.[23] In the First Test, he scored his first Test hundred after more than 11 years, a gap of 4,218 days between the two. It was the longest period only behind after Warren Bardsley's 5,093 and Syed Mushtaq Ali's 4,544 days.[24]

In January 2021 Fawad was named in Pakistan's 17 man Test squad for their home series against South Africa.[25] In the 1st test Fawad scored 109, sharing a century partnership with Faheem Ashraf.[26]

Outside cricket

In April 2019, Fawad made a cameo appearance in a PTV comedy drama sitcom "Ghar Damad".[27]

References
  1. Mehmood, Kamran. "Fawad Alam: A Talent Being Wasted". Bleacher Report.
  2. "Cricketing Dynasties: The Twenty Two Families of Pakistan Test Cricket – Part 6 | Sports | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk.
  3. "England vs Pakistan: 10 years and 259 days later, Fawad Alam plays a Test match again". hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  4. "Why Fawad Alam has been frozen out of Pakistan squads". Dawn. 29 April 2019.
  5. "Fawad Alam makes deserved yet brief Pakistan return after decade of graft". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  6. Khan, Khalid H. (26 September 2013). "Discarded Fawad dejected, but hopes to make comeback". DAWN.COM.
  7. "Fawad Alam announced his world cup plans". Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  8. "Asia Cup 2014". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  9. "Pakistan Cup one-day tournament to begin in Faisalabad next week". Geo TV. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  10. "Pakistan Cup Cricket from 25th". The News International. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  11. "Federal Areas aim to complete hat-trick of Pakistan Cup titles". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  12. "Pakistan Cup one-day cricket from April 2". The International News. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  13. "PCB announces squads for 2019-20 domestic season". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  14. "Sarfaraz Ahmed and Babar Azam to take charge of Pakistan domestic sides". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  15. Qaiser, S.Pervez (14 April 2009). storyid=21461 "Fawad Alam's Eighth [sic] Highest on test debut" Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  16. "Fawad Alam returns to Pakistan's Test squad for Sri Lanka series". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  17. "Haider Ali the new face as Pakistan name 29-man touring party for England". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  18. "Haider Ali named in 29-player squad for England tour". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  19. "Pakistan shortlist players for England Tests". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  20. "Wahab Riaz, Sarfaraz Ahmed in 20-man Pakistan squad for England Tests". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  21. "Fawad Alam makes long-awaited return for Pakistan". Cricket Australia. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  22. "Fawad Alam and the cruelty of batting: a 10-year wait ends in a duck". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  23. "https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-series/3275/pakistan-tour-of-new-zealand-2020-21/squads". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 29 December 2020. External link in |title= (help)
  24. "Stats - Fawad Alam ends 11-year wait in style". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  25. "PCB announces 17-player squad for Pakistan's first Test against South Africa". Geo.
  26. "Magnificent Fawad studs Pakistan's dominance". ESPN Cricinfo.
  27. "Test cricketer Fawad Alam enters Pakistan's drama industry". ARY Sports. 12 April 2019.
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