When he debuted as a raw 19-year-old, Irfan Pathan elicited comparisons with Pakistani pace legend Wasim Akram, no less. The left-arm fast bowler from Baroda turned 32 on Thursday. He made his international debut in 2003 during India's tour of Australia and in the fourth Test, dismissed the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
Pathan's favourite opponents have been Pakistan and during the two series in 2004 and 2006, he was simply outstanding. In the third Test of the 2006 series in Karachi, Pathan took a hat-trick of the first over of the match. He is the only person to have achieved this feat. Salman Butt was dismissed by one which swung away from middle and Younis Khan, who followed him, was rapped in front with the one which nipped back in shortly. The best was reserved for Mohammad Yousuf who was completely castled by a sharp inswinger.
In the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, Pathan took 10 wickets at an average of 14.90. His spell of 3/16 earned him the Man of the Match award in the final and his scalps were Pakistan's skipper Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi and Yasir Arafat. He is one of the few Indian cricketers to have represented English county side Middlesex. In the Indian Premier League, he played for Kings XI Punjab and is currently plying his trade for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He played his last Test against South Africa in 2008 and last One-Day International against Sri Lanka in 2012.
