Taufeeq Umar ( Punjabi: توفیق عمر, born 20 June 1981) is a Pakistani former

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 the

Pakistan national cricket team The Pakistan national cricket team or Pak cricket team, often referred to as the Shaheens (), Green Shirts, Men in Green and Cornered Tigers is administered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team is a Full Member of the International C ...

between 2001 and 2014. Umar was a regular

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opening

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for three seasons, before being dropped ahead of the 2004–05 season. On 23 May 2020, he tested positive for

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and he insisted that he didn't develop cautious symptoms. He recovered successfully from the coronavirus in June 2020.

International career

Unusually for a Pakistani player, Umar has played more Tests than ODIs, as he was not given a prolonged run in the ODI side until 2003, when he played eight ODIs in a row. However, he only missed two of 24 Tests played between August 2001 and April 2004, and after 17 Tests his

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had reached 48.03 after he made four scores above 50 in the two-Test series with

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. Possessing excellent temperament, he remains unique amongst Pakistani openers in his ability to concentrate for long periods and his ability to build innings. With exquisite drives either side of the wicket, a formidable cut and pull shot in the armoury and possessing the natural gift of timing, he seemed the very answer to Pakistan's opening problem especially against a full strength South African attack in South Africa (2003). A loss of form against India (2004) resulted in Taufeeq losing his place in the team and a subsequent loss of batting confidence. He was recalled into the Pakistani side for the South Africa Series in 2010. He made his comeback against South Africa with some good scores. Against West Indies, he scored a century and then a brilliant double hundred against Sri Lanka at UAE. He has again become a regular part of Test squad as an opener. he continued to play for Pakistan until Sri Lanka in 2012. After the series, he was dropped from the squad, until his later comeback for a single test match in 2014 against New Zealand. He scored only 16 and 4 in the two innings and was dropped from the squad.

Domestic career

He continued to be in the Pakistani selectors' minds, playing for

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 ...

against a touring England XI in 2005–06,Pakistan A v England XI in 2005/06
from CricketArchive, retrieved 14 December 2005 and continued to play for

Lahore Ravi Lahore cricket teams, representing the city of Lahore, competed in Pakistan's first-class cricket tournaments from 1958–59 to 2018–19. They have also competed in the national 50-over and Twenty-20 tournaments as the Lahore Lions. Teams Fr ...

and

Habib Bank Limited Habib Bank Limited ( ur, ) abbreviated as HBL, is a Pakistani multinational bank based in Habib Bank Plaza, Karachi, Pakistan. Founded in 1939 by the Habib Family, HBL became Pakistan's first commercial bank. In 1951 it opened its first inte ...

in Pakistani domestic competitions. It remains to be seen whether he can recover his solid technique and return to Test cricket as the formidable opener he was meant to be. This is compounded by the fact that he joined the rebel

Indian Cricket League The Indian Cricket League (ICL) was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India. Its two seasons included tournaments between four international teams (World XI, India, Pakistan ...

and represented the Lahore Badshahs. Taufeeq spent a summer in the UK playing Professional League cricket for Lancaster Cricket Club in the Northern League.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Umar, Taufeeq 1981 births Living people Habib Bank Limited cricketers Lahore cricketers Pakistan One Day International cricketers Pakistan Test cricketers Cricketers who made a century on Test debut ICL Pakistan XI cricketers Mumbai Champs cricketers Delhi Giants cricketers Pakistani cricketers Lahore Whites cricketers Lahore City cricketers Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited cricketers Baluchistan Bears cricketers Lahore Eagles cricketers Punjab (Pakistan) cricketers Cricketers from Lahore Cricketers at the 2003 Cricket World Cup Central Model School, Lahore alumni People from Lahore