Saad Bin Zafar ( ur, ; born 10 November 1986) is a

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

i international

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

er who represents Canada in international cricket and is currently the captain of the Canada men's national team. Saad performs as an

all-rounder An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are cons ...

. He is a left-handed batsman and a

slow left-arm orthodox Left-arm orthodox spin, Left-arm off spin also known as slow left-arm orthodox spin bowling, is a type of left-arm finger spin bowling in the sport of cricket. Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left-arm bowler using the fingers to spin ...

bowler. Saad holds the world record for completing his maximum quota of overs (4 overs in a 20-over match) without conceding a run in a men's T20I match and has the 5th most maiden overs bowled in T20I career. Saad also currently holds the record for the highest strike rate of 414.28 in a

T20I A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...

innings.

Early career

At the age of 10, he started playing

tape ball A tape ball is a tennis ball wrapped in electrical tape that is often used in informal games of cricket such as street cricket, also called tape ball cricket. First pioneered in Karachi, Pakistan, the tape ball acts as an improvised cricket bal ...

cricket with friends on the streets. Later at the age of 14, his school's sports teacher spotted Saad and introduced him to Leather ball cricket by selecting him for the junior school cricket team. In 2004, he started playing

club cricket Club cricket is a mainly amateur, but still formal, form of the sport of cricket, usually involving teams playing in competitions at weekends or in the evening. There is a great deal of variation in game format although the Laws of Cricket are obs ...

for Overseas Cricket club in Premier Division. He scored 262 not out in a 50 over game in Scarborough Cricket League Premier Division in August 2015.

Domestic and T20 franchise career

In January 2017, he played for the

ICC Americas ICC Americas is an international body which oversees cricket in countries in the Americas. It is a subordinate body to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The organisation currently has 17 members, located in Northern America, Central Ameri ...

in the 2016–17 Regional Super50 and was the leading wicket-taker for his team. In his 9 wickets that season, he was able to dismiss the likes of

Shai Hope Shai Diego Hope (born 10 November 1993) is a Barbadian cricketer, who plays international cricket for the West Indies cricket team. He is regarded as one of the best ODI batsmen in the contemporary world. At the age of 21, he was called into the ...

, Chadwick Walton, and

Jermaine Blackwood Jermaine Blackwood (born 20 November 1991) is a Jamaican cricketer. He made his Test cricket debut for the West Indies against New Zealand in June 2014. He made his One Day International debut for the West Indies against Sri Lanka on 4 Novembe ...

. On 3 June 2018, he was selected to play for the Vancouver Knights in the players' draft for the inaugural edition of the

Global T20 Canada The Global T20 Canada is a 20-over cricket tournament played in Canada. The first edition of the tournament took place during June and July 2018 with six teams competing. Each team featured four local Canadian cricketers in each squad, along w ...

tournament. Saad was the second Canadian player to be selected in the draft after

Nikhil Dutta Nikhil Dutta (born 13 October 1994) is a Canadian cricketer. Dutta is right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm off spin. Dutta made his One Day International debut for Canada against Kenya in March 2013. He is the first Bengali to represent a nati ...

in round 9. In his third match against Montreal Tigers his bowling figure was 3/21 in 4 overs. He was able to take the wickets of

Sikandar Raza Sikandar Raza Butt (} ; born 24 April 1986) is a Pakistani-born Zimbabwean international cricketer, who plays all formats primarily as a batter. Born in Sialkot, Raza emigrated to Zimbabwe in 2002 along with his family. He soon became one of ...

George Worker George Herrick Worker (born 23 August 1989) is a New Zealand international cricketer. He was named in New Zealand's squad for their tour to Zimbabwe in August 2015, after Mitchell Santner was ruled out due to injury. He made his Twenty20 Inte ...

and

Najibullah Zadran Najibullah Zadran ( ps, ; born 28 February 1993) is an Afghan cricketer and the vice captain of the Afghanistan Twenty20 International (T20I) side. Zadran is a left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm off break. He made his international debut f ...

on duck. In his fifth match against Toronto Nationals he took 2/22 in 3.5 overs and scored unbeaten 12 in 47-run winning partnership with Chadwick Walton. In the final match of

2018 Global T20 Canada The 2018 Global T20 Canada (also known as Canada Dry Global T20 Canada for sponsorship reasons) of the Global T20 Canada, was a 20-over cricket cricket tournament played in Canada. It was the first edition of the tournament and ran from 28 June ...

against

West Indies B cricket team West Indies B is a List A cricket team that participates in the West Indian domestic List A tournament and was formerly also a first-class cricket team that participated in the West Indian domestic First Class competition from the 2000–01 ...

, he took 2 wickets including the wicket of

Fabian Allen Fabian Allen (born 7 May 1995) is a Jamaican cricketer. He made his first-class debut for Jamaica in the 2016–17 Regional Four Day Competition on 25 November 2016. Prior to his first-class debut, he was part of the West Indies squad for the 2 ...

by giving away 26 runs in 4 overs, also having a wicket maiden over. Vancouver Knights didn't have an ideal start to the chase as Chadwick Walton,

Chris Gayle Christopher Henry Gayle, OD (born 21 September 1979) is a Jamaican cricketer who has been playing international cricket for the West Indies since 1999. A destructive batter, Gayle is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen to have play ...

and

Ben Dunk Ben Robert Dunk (born 11 March 1987) is an Australian professional cricketer who is currently playing and is the power hitting coach for the Lahore Qalandars. Previously, he has played for Melbourne Stars in the BBL, and he has also played for ...

fell cheaply to leave them at 22 for 3 but Saad and

Rassie van der Dussen Hendrik Erasmus "Rassie" van der Dussen (born 7 February 1989) is a South African professional cricketer who represents the South Africa national cricket team and plays for Gauteng in domestic cricket. In the 2018 ''South African Cricket Ann ...

came up with a crucial unbeaten 126-run partnership to get Knights back on track in the chase. Saad played the role of an aggressor, dealing in regular boundaries to bring up a 32-ball fifty. He collected eight fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 48-ball stay for 79 runs. Saad was adjudged man of the match for his brilliant all-round performance. In September 2018, he was called up as a replacement player of Bangladesh's allrounder

Mahmudullah Mohammad Mahmudullah ( bn, মোহাম্মদ মাহমুদুল্লাহ; born 4 February 1986), also known as Riyad, is a Bangladeshi cricketer and former captain of the Bangladesh national cricket team in T20I. He has played ...

by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for CPL playoffs . In June 2019, he was selected to play for the Vancouver Knights franchise team in the

2019 Global T20 Canada The 2019 Global T20 Canada was the second edition of the Global T20 Canada, a 20-over professional cricket tournament, played at the CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario. It started on 25 July 2019, and concluded with the final on 11 August 2019. It w ...

tournament. He had a successful tournament as he was the leading wicket-taker for the Vancouver Knights. In his 4th match against Edmonton Royals, his bowling figure was 2/34 in 4 overs, including the wicket of

Shadab Khan Shadab Khan (Urdu, Punjabi: شاداب خان) is a Pakistani international cricketer who plays for and vice-captains the Pakistan cricket team in limited overs cricket. He captains Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and Nort ...

on a golden duck. In the Qualifier 1 against Brampton Wolves, Saad was able to pick up 4 wickets by only giving 22 runs in 4 overs. He bowled exceptionally well in the 8th over in which he bagged 3 wickets by only giving 1 run which included the wicket of

Shahid Afridi Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi ( ur, شاہد افریدی‎, ps, شاهد افریدی; born 1 March 1977), known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. He is current ...

on a golden duck and the captain

Colin Munro Colin Munro (born 11 March 1987) is a South-African born New Zealand international cricketer, who plays limited overs formats of the game. He was a member of the New Zealand Under 19 side and is currently a member of the Auckland cricket team ...

, who scored the fastest 50 of the tournament. His outstanding bowling spell got him the well-deserved man of the match award and led the Vancouver Knights into finals. In the final match against Winnipeg Hawks, he had an 86-run 5th wicket partnership with

Shoaib Malik Shoaib Malik (Punjabi, ur, ; born 1 February 1982) is a Pakistani cricketer who plays for the Pakistan national cricket team and currently plays for Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He was the captain of the Pakistan national ...

and 53-run 6th wicket partnership with

Andre Russell Andre Dwayne Russell (born 29 April 1988) is a Jamaican who has played international cricket for West Indies and for Jamaica in domestic cricket as an all-rounder. He currently plays in various T20 leagues around the globe. Russell was part of ...

. Due to the high run rate requirement, Vancouver couldn't find success chasing the 192 target set by the Hawks and loss in the super over. In July 2019, he was selected to play for the Amsterdam Knights in the inaugural edition of the

Euro T20 Slam The Euro T20 Slam is a planned professional Twenty20 cricket league. The first edition of the tournament was initially scheduled to start in August 2019, with matches to be held in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. It's launch has been post ...

cricket tournament. However, the following month the tournament was cancelled. In December 2019, he was selected to play for the Falcon Hunters in the

Qatar T10 League Qatar T-10 Cricket League or QT10 League is a T10 cricket, T-10 franchise cricket league, a form of cricket similar to Twenty20 cricket but played over only 10 overs per side. It was founded in Doha and has six teams. The tournament is organised ...

. Falcon Hunters were named Champions for the inaugural season by beating Swift Gallopers by 4 wickets. Saad had a successful tournament just like his team by being the fifth leading wicket-taker of the season. In his six dismissals, he was able to collect key wickets of

Mohammad Hafeez Mohammad Hafeez ( Punjabi and ur, ; born 17 October 1980) is a former Pakistani international cricketer. Hafeez was a versatile batsman who could bat anywhere in the top 6 and formed part of the bowling attack. He played as a spin bowling a ...

and

Kamran Akmal Kamran Akmal (Urdu, pa, ; born 13 January 1982) is a Pakistani former cricketer, who played for Pakistan as a right-handed batsman & wicketkeeper. He started his international career in November 2002 with a Test match at Harare Sports Club. ...

. In July 2020, he was named in the St Lucia Zouks squad for the

2020 Caribbean Premier League The 2020 Caribbean Premier League (CPLT20) or for sponsorship reasons, Hero CPL 2020 was the eighth season of the Caribbean Premier League, the domestic Twenty20 cricket league played in the West Indies. All matches were played in Trinidad and ...

. In September 2020, he was added to the Houston Hurricanes squad for the 2021

Minor League Cricket Minor League Cricket (branded as the Toyota Minor League Cricket Championship presented by Sling TV for sponsorship reasons, and sometimes shortened to MiLC) is an American Twenty20 cricket developmental league for Major League Cricket which com ...

season. He was later traded to the Michigan Cricket Stars. He was the most economical bowler for Michigan Cricket Stars with 5.7 economy rate and was able to pick up 14 wickets from 12 matches. In July 2022, he was selected to play for the

Muzaffarabad Tigers The Muzaffarabad Tigers (Urdu: ) is a Pakistani professional T20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Kashmir Premier League. It was founded in 2021 in the inaugural edition of Kashmir Premier League. The team is captained by Mohammad ...

following the players' draft for the 2022 Kashmir Premier League. Despite Muzaffarabad Tigers ending up at the bottom of the points table, Saad had a successful stint by being the 4th most economical bowler of the season with the economy rate of 6.26 from 5 matches.

International career

Saad made his International debut on 4 July 2008 playing against

Bermuda ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , ...

. He looked impressive in his debut as he took 4 wickets, including the wicket of Bermuda's captain

Irving Romaine Irving Howard Romaine (born 8 August 1972), previously incorrectly known as Irvine Romaine, is a Bermudian cricketer, who played with the Bermudian cricket team in their first ever One Day International when they played Canada on 17 May 2006. ...

who was close to scoring a century. In January 2010, he was named in Canada's squad for the

2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier The 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier was played from 9–13 February 2010 in the United Arab Emirates and a part of ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier series. The top two teams progressed to play in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20, the international cham ...

tournament in the United Arab Emirates. He made his T20 debut against UAE in the 9th match of the tournament. In June 2015, he was named in Canada's squad for the

2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier The 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, for the 2016 World Twenty20, was held from 6 to 26 July 2015. The tournament was hosted by both Ireland and Scotland. 51 matches were played among 14 nations, down from 72 matches among 16 nations previou ...

tournament hosted by Scotland and Ireland. He was the most economical bowler for Canada with 6.23 economy rate from 5 matches. In January 2018, he was named in Canada's squad for the

2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two was a cricket tournament that took place in February 2018 in Namibia. The United Arab Emirates won the tournament, after beating Nepal by 7 runs in the final. Canada and Namibia finished third and fourth ...

tournament. In August 2018, he was named in Canada's squad for the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 Americas Qualifier tournament in

Morrisville, North Carolina Morrisville is a town located primarily in Wake County, North Carolina, United States (a small portion extends into neighboring Durham County). The population was 18,576 at the 2010 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the town's population ...

. In April 2019, he was named in Canada's squad for the

2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two The 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two was an international cricket tournament that took place in April 2019 in Namibia. It was contested between six teams; Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Papua New Guinea, the United States and tournament hos ...

tournament in Namibia. Even though Canada was not able to gain ODI status but he had a successful tournament by being the leading wicket-taker for Canada, with 11 dismissals in 6 matches. In August 2019, he was named in Canada's squad for the

Regional Finals In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier tournament. He made his

Twenty20 International A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...

(T20I) debut for Canada against the Cayman Islands on 18 August 2019. In September 2019, he was named in Canada's squad for the 2019 Malaysia Cricket World Cup Challenge League A tournament and was the most economical bowler for Canada with the economy rate of 3.50 from 5 matches. In October 2019, he was named in Canada's squad for the

2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier The 2019 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier was a cricket tournament held during October and November 2019 in the United Arab Emirates to determine which teams would qualify for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament. The six teams finishing ...

tournament in the United Arab Emirates. He was the leading wicket-taker for Canada in the tournament, with 9 dismissals in 5 matches. In October 2021, he was named in Canada's squad for the

2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier The 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier was a cricket tournament that was played as part of the qualification process for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. It took place in November 2021 in Antigua, with the top two teams progressing ...

tournament in Antigua. On 14 November 2021, in Canada's match against

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

, Saad became the first bowler to bowl four overs in a T20I match without conceding a run. In February 2022, he was named in Canada's squad for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier A tournament in Oman. In July 2022, he was appointed as the captain of Canada's squad against Nepal's tour of Canada which was scheduled for Nepal's preparation of 2022 Scotland Tri-Nation Series. The tour had two One Day matches scheduled but persistent rain had completely washed out the first match however in the second match Canada secured 83 runs convincing win over

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

. In July 2022, he was named in Canada's squad for the 2022 Canada Cricket World Cup Challenge League A tournament. In the sixth match of the tournament, against

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, he took his first

five-wicket haul In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by critics as a notable achievement, equivalent to a century from a batsman. Ta ...

in List A cricket. In October 2022, he was named as the captain of Canada's Squad for the

2022 Desert Cup T20I Series The 2022 Desert Cup T20I Series was a Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket tournament that took place in Oman in November 2022. The participating teams were the hosts Oman along with Bahrain, Canada and Saudi Arabia. The tournament was played a ...

and also for a bilateral 50-over-a-side three-match series against

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

to prepare for the final event of the 2019–2022 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League. On 14 November 2022, in Canada's Match against

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

, Saad scored unbeaten 29 off 7 balls which made him the second batsman to bat at a strike rate of 414.28, which is the highest strike rate in

innings. Saad had a very successful stint as the captain of Canada by winning both the T20I series as well as the One Day series of 2022 Desert Cup. In November 2022, he was named as the captain of Canada's squad for the 2022 Malaysia Cricket World Cup Challenge League A tournament. He finished the tournament being the third leading wicket taker of

ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Challenge League is a cricket competition contested in the List A format, and the bottom level of the three-league Cricket World Cup qualification system, which was introduced in 2019. Twelve teams participate in t ...

by taking 25 wickets in 14 matches.https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?id=13343;type=tournament

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saad Bin Zafar Living people 1986 births Canadian cricketers Canada Twenty20 International cricketers Cricketers from Gujranwala Canadian sportspeople of Pakistani descent St Kitts and Nevis Patriots cricketers Pakistani emigrants to Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada Saint Lucia Kings cricketers