Not every second chance in cricket comes dressed in green. For Zafar Gohar, the comeback trail winds through county grounds in England, not Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
At 30, Gohar isn’t just bowling with renewed fire for Middlesex in the 2025 County Championship, he’s also eyeing something bigger: the possibility of donning an England cap.
It’s a storyline stitched with heartbreak, persistence, and bold reinvention.
The Nightmare That Started It All
Rewind to 2015. A young Zafar Gohar, brimming with potential, gets a late-night call to join the Pakistan Test squad in the UAE as Yasir Shah’s injury replacement.
He was in Faisalabad, playing domestic cricket, when the call came. The catch? He had to catch a 3 AM flight from Lahore.
“It was a dream come true — to get a call to join the national team — but I was drained,” Gohar recalled in a recent interview with British media.
“I waited until late at night for travel details, then was told to rest. I could not wake up in time. The next morning, they blamed everything on me. I was devastated.”
That one missed flight derailed what could have been a long stint in Pakistan colours.
Lost in the System, Found in the County
Although Zafar Gohar later featured in a solitary ODI (2015) and a Test (2021), he never got a fair run.
Despite strong performances, he was often overlooked. His 2022 season for Gloucestershire — 47 wickets and 500 runs — should’ve made headlines in Pakistan’s selection committee room. But instead, he was told, “county stats don’t matter.”
Disillusioned but not defeated, Gohar made a massive life decision. He secured British citizenship, and after more than three years away from Pakistan’s national team, he became eligible to represent England.
Making a Statement in 2025
Now with Middlesex, Gohar isn’t just playing county cricket — he’s bossing it. With 15 wickets in the first four rounds of the current season, he’s the top-performing spinner in the competition.
And he’s not afraid to dream big.
“I think I have just reached my prime, and I feel ready to take on this new challenge,” he said.
“I had heard England was the toughest place for spinners to get wickets but I got wickets. That was the point I decided, right, I am going to take my chance.”
For Gohar, the idea of playing for England isn’t about switching allegiances out of bitterness. It’s about taking control of a career that slipped away due to missed chances and mismanagement.
It may sound strange to some — a Pakistani-born left-arm spinner representing England — but Gohar is walking a path many before him have treaded, from Kevin Pietersen to Eoin Morgan to Jofra Archer.
Yes, the odds are high. Breaking into England’s national setup at 30 is no easy feat. But Gohar thrives on challenges.
“I know it is a big, big ask to get picked for England, but I love challenges,” he concluded.
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