Imran Qayyum (born 23 May 1993) is an English former professional

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 striki ...

er who played for

Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ke ...

.Imran Qayyum

CricInfo ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a d ...

. Retrieved 18 May 2016. A slow left arm bowler, he made his

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

debut in May 2016 against

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

in the

2016 County Championship The 2016 County Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2016 Specsavers County Championship), was the 117th cricket County Championship season. It was announced in March 2016 that the 2017 season would feature only eight teams in Divi ...

and has gone on to play in

limited overs Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket or white ball cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day. There are a number of formats, including List A cricket (8-hour games), Twenty ...

competitions for the county. In May 2021, he was forced to retire from the game due to a shoulder injury.

Early life and youth career

Imran Qayyum was born in

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was histor ...

and played youth cricket for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

.Teams Imran Qayyum played for
CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 May 2016. His parents had migrated from Pakistan before he was born.Qayyum excited by Pakistan tour match
Kent County Cricket Club, 4 December 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018. He was educated at

Villiers High School Villiers High School is a co-educational 11–18 school and sixth form in the Southall area of the west London borough of Ealing. The school is situated in Boyd Avenue, in the heart of Southall. Aruna Sharma was appointed Headteacher in September ...

Southall Southall () is a large suburban county of West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns. It is situated west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011. It is generally divided ...

, Greenford Sixth Form College and City University. After being spotted bowling in a Club Cricket Conference competition by Kent's spin bowling coach

Min Patel Minal Mahesh Patel (born 7 July 1970) is a retired Indian-born English cricketer who made two appearances in Test cricket for the England cricket team. He was a right-handed batsman and a slow left arm bowler, who primarily played for Kent Cou ...

, he took part in pre-season training with the Kent team ahead of the 2013 season but did not join the team at that point.Pennell M (2016) 'Qayyum aiming to use Kent debut to kick on again' in ''Kent v Derbyshire'',

, 26 June 2016. During the 2013 season he played as a trialist in Second XI cricket for

and

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

when, after playing against Kent's Second XI, he was contacted by Simon Willis, the director of the county's cricket academy at the time, and invited to play for Kent. He appeared for Kent's Second XI for the remainder of the 2013 season as well as making an appearance for Unicorns A. During the 2013 English off-season he won a week scholarship at the Global Cricket School in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

in India.Spin it to win it
''All out cricket'', 14 November 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2016. He signed his first professional contract with Kent in 2014.Reid J (ed) (2016) ''2016 Kent County Cricket Club Annual'',

, 2016, p.28. After time developing his game in

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 ...

in the 2014–15 off-seasonImran Qayyum - Practice makes perfect in Pakistan

, 4 February 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016. his was extended during August 2015.Kent: New contracts for Haggett, Qayyum and Thomas
BBC sport, 14 August 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016. During the 2015 English season Imran was the leading wicket-taker for Kent in the

Second XI Championship The Second XI Championship is a season-long cricket competition in England that is competed for by the reserve teams of those county cricket clubs that have first-class status. The competition started in 1959 and has been contested annually ever ...

, with 29 wickets, including 5/18 against Surrey Second XI.Willis S (2016) in Reid J (2016) ''op. cit.'', pp.162–163. During the 2015–16 off-season Imran played grade cricket in Sydney for Fairfield and Liverpool as part of an ECB initiative to develop young spin bowlersVettori to work with EPP spinners in Dubai
, ECB, 12 October 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.Imran Qayyum to play in Australia as part of ECB initiative

, 12 October 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.Thomas J (2015
Cowdrey joins Western Suburbs Magpies
, ''Kent Sport News'', 15 October 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016. before captaining

Bromley Cricket Club Bromley Cricket Club was one of the strongest English cricket clubs in the mid-18th century when its team was led by Robert Colchin a.k.a. "Long Robin". Earliest mentions Cricket almost certainly originated in Kent and Sussex so it must have bee ...

’s First XI in the

Kent Cricket League The Kent Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in Kent, England. The league was founded in 1970 and the first season of play was 1971. The twelve founding clubs were Ashford, Aylesford Paper Mills, Dartf ...

in 2016Imran Qayyum makes first-class debut
Bromley Cricket Club, 15 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016. and playing for Victoria Cricket Club in South Africa during the 2016–17 English winter.Hartley and Qayyum join South African clubs for winter
Kent County Cricket Club, 30 October 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.Qayyum takes eight wickets in South Africa
Kent County Cricket Club, 3 December 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.Mitchell K (2016
Victoria CC continue unbeaten run
''Southern Mail'', 7 December 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.

Cricket career

Imran Qayyum made his

debut on 15 May 2016 for

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

against

in the

Wantage Road The County Ground is a cricket venue on Wantage Road in the Abington area of Northampton, England. It is home to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, and was used by Northampton Town F.C. from 1897 to 1994. Cricket Northamptonshire played t ...

. He took three wickets on his debut and was dismissed first ball in his only innings.Libby and Wakely set up Northants reply

, 16 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.Kleinveldt and Stone earn lead as bat holds sway

, 17 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.Stokes M (2016
Kent spinner Imran Qayyum says being given his First-Class debut against Northamptonshire was a dream come true
''Kent Online'', 23 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 February 2017. Imran was 23 when he made his debut, having previously been involved with three other county sides.Hopps D (2019
Imran Qayyum haul leads Kent to victory over Somerset

, 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019. He made his

List A List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the numbe ...

debut for Kent on 25 January 2017 against the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

in the 2016–17 Regional Super50 tournament in

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

, going on to make five appearances for Kent in the tournament. Imran made his domestic List A debut for Kent in the final match of the county's 2017 Royal London One Day Cup campaign in May against

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Essex top group to secure semi-final berth

, 17 May 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.Kent Spitfires lose by 57 runs to Essex Eagles in Royal London One-Day Cup
''

Kent Online KM Media Group is a multimedia company in the county of Kent, England which originated as the publisher of the Kent Messenger. The Group now produces local newspapers, radio stations and websites throughout the county. Iliffe Media acquired KM ...

'', 17 May 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017. before making his

Twenty20 Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...

debut in July in the 2017 NatWest t20 Blast against

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

at the

College Ground, Cheltenham The College Ground is a cricket ground in the grounds of Cheltenham College in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Gloucestershire County Cricket Club have played more than 300 first-class and more than 70 List A matches there. It also hos ...

, taking a wicket on debutHoad A (2017
Kent Spitfires lose by six wickets to Gloucestershire in NatWest T20 Blast
''

'', 13 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.Cricket: Unbeaten Gloucestershire triumph in six wicket victory over Kent
''Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard'', 13 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.Gloucs win in final over at Cheltenham

, 13 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.CRICKET: Kent spinner Imran Qayyum on his T20 debut in Cheltenham defeat to Gloucestershire

BBC Radio Kent BBC Radio Kent is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Kent. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Great Hall in Tunbridge Wells. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of ...

Sport, 14 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017. and bowling "particularly well" from the Chapel End of the groundKent falter against Howell magic

, 13 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017. before going on to take two wickets for 19 runs in the return match at

.Hoad A (2017
Kent Spitfires head coach Matt Walker thrilled with Imran Qayyum's T20 Blast performances
''

'', 19 July 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2017. Imran 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. Takin ...

in a 2019 t20 Blast match against

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

in July 2019. All five wickets fell during a spell of 25 balls during which Somerset lost six wickets - Imran taking five and also running out another batsman in what was described as a "brilliant all-round display".T20 Blast: Kent beat Somerset after Derbyshire overcome Yorkshire

BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...

, 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019. Following a shoulder injury, Imran retired from all forms of cricket in May 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Qayyum, Imran 1993 births Living people English cricketers Kent cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers People from Ealing Cricketers from Greater London British Asian cricketers English people of Pakistani descent