Wasim Jaffer
Encyclopedia
Wasim Jaffer is an Indian
Indian people
Indian people or Indisians constitute the Asian nation and pan-ethnic group native to India, which forms the south of Asia, containing 17.31% of the world's population. The Indian nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the rich and complex history of India...

 cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

er. He is a right-handed opening batsman and an occasional right arm off-break bowler.

Early years

Following a prolific school career, during which he scored 400 not out in one innings as a 15 year old, he made his entry into the first class cricket scoring a triple century in his second match. His innings of 314 not out helped set a series of firsts for Mumbai. It was the first occasion that a batsman had made a triple century for Mumbai away from home and by putting on 459 runs with his opening partner Sulakshan Kulkarni the pair became the first from Mumbai to pass 400.

International career

An opening batsman, with the style of Mohammed Azharuddin, much was expected of Jaffer as he entered Test cricket for the first time in a home series against South Africa in 2000. An experienced bowling duo in Shaun Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...

 and Allan Donald
Allan Donald
Allan Anthony Donald is a former South African cricketer and one of their most successful pace bowlers.In his prime, he was one of the best fast bowlers ever seen in Test cricket, reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings in 1998 and peaked with a top ICC ranking of 895 points the next year, the...

 would however prove too difficult for Jaffer to cope with, and he managed just 46 runs from his four innings. He would not start another international match for some time, eventually returning in May 2002 for a tour of the West Indies. Jaffer had a respectable series, making 51 in Bridgetown and 86 at Antigua. He had done enough to be included in the Indian squad for their tour of England that coming summer but despite a half century at Lord's he struggled in his other innings and was dropped after two Tests.

Jaffer was recalled to the Test team for the tour of Pakistan 2005-06 in the wake of excellent domestic form, but did not play in the Test matches. It was in the next series in India that Jaffer scored his maiden Test century scoring exactly 100 against England at Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...

, in his first Test since his recall.

He made his first Test double century at the Antigua Recreation Ground
Antigua Recreation Ground
Antigua Recreation Ground is the national stadium of Antigua and Barbuda. It is located in St. John's, on the island of Antigua. The ground has been used by the West Indies cricket team and Antigua and Barbuda national football team...

 against the West Indies in June 2006. His 212 was made in over 500 minutes during the second innings was the equal second highest by an Indian batsman in the Caribbean.

In July 2006, his position as India's first-choice opener to partner Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag , affectionately known as Viru, the Nawab of Najafgarh, or the Zen master of modern cricket, is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and a part-time right-arm off-spin bowler...

 was confirmed via the award of a central contract (Grade C) by the Board of Control for Cricket in India
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered at Mumbai, is the national governing body for all cricket in India. It's not the apex governing body in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as BCCI replaced Calcutta Cricket Club. BCCI is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu...

.

Jaffer was selected for ODI series in November 2006 against South Africa, making his ODI debut. However, Jaffer was unproductive and was immediately dropped from the ODI team. However, he continued to score in the Test format, making his third Test century against South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...

 at Newlands, Cape Town
Newlands, Cape Town
Newlands is an upmarket suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.It is located at the foot of Table Mountain in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, and is the wettest suburb in South Africa due to its high winter rainfall...

.

Despite making a pair in the opening Test of his next series against Bangladesh at Chittagong, he returned to form with 138 in the following Test before he retired hurt.

Jaffer scored 202 in the first innings of the second test of the 2007 series against Pakistan  at Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...

, Kolkata.

Although yet to play county cricket, Jaffer has represented Scholes CC in the Huddersfield Drakes League for a number of seasons as their overseas player. For the 2010 season Wasim moved a few miles down the road to Skelmanthorpe Cricket Club to play as their overseas player, a season in which he broke the league record for the amount of runs scored in a single season. In the 2011 season Jaffer signed to Himley CC as their overseas professional in the Birmingham and District Premier League
Birmingham and District Premier League
The Birmingham and District Cricket League is the oldest club cricket league in the world, formed in 1888. Arguably the strongest club competition in the country, it was also the first ECB Premier League, being designated such in 1998.- Geography :...

 .

Jaffer ended his career with 5 centuries of which 2 were double centuries. He has Test centuries against Pakistan, England, West Indies and South Africa. He will be remembered as talent unfulfilled.

External links

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