Birthday special: Irfan Pathan – Top 3 Performances in international cricket

When Irfan Pathan made his international debut and castled Adam Gilchrist in December 2003, he was considered to be the ‘Next Big Thing’ in Indian cricket. Pathan rose to stardom in a matter of time and also succeeded in becoming a consistent batter down the line.

However, with frequent injuries, inconsistent performances, and cutthroat competition, Irfan was slowly sidelined from the Indian team after 2012. As Pathan turns 39 on October 27, here’s a look at his top three performances in international cricket.

3) All-round performances in the 2008 Perth Test match

India had a point to prove as they were heading into this contest after the infamous SCG Test match and Irfan Pathan made his all-round cricketing abilities do the talking. The southpaw was promoted as a night watchman in both innings at the number three position.

The move paid off as he registered scores of 28 and 46 respectively. With the ball in hand, the versatile all-rounder finished with 5/117 in the contest as India eventually came out on top by 72 runs. This famous victory also broke the Aussies’ 16-match winning streak.

2) Player of the Match in the T20 World Cup 2007 Final

Irfan Pathan mattered when it mattered the most with a match-winning bowling performance against arch-rivals Pakistan in the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 final at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Pathan was very economical with the ball in hand as he registered three scalps to his name giving away just 16 runs from his quota of four overs. His spell helped India become the first-ever T20 world champions and he was also adjudged the Player of the Match for his outstanding performance.

1) Hat-Trick against Pakistan in Pakistan

Irfan Pathan provided a dream start for India in the opening over of the third and final Test match against Pakistan at Karachi in early 2006. He made the ball talk on a wonderful swinging wicket after Indian skipper Rahul Dravid invited the hosts to bat after calling it right at the toss. Irfan successfully dismissed Pakistan’s top three batters within the first three deliveries. He first had Salman Butt caught at slips, then had Younis Khan caught plumb in front of the wicket and cleaned up Mohammad Yousuf to complete a well-deserved hat-trick.