Sohail Tanvir is a budding all-rounder, born on December 12, 1984 in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan. Nicknamed “Sohail Kukree”, this left-handed batsman is also capable of bowling left-arm fast-medium and orthodox spin.
Sohail Tanvir made his Test debut for the Pakistan cricket team against India on November 22, 2007. In his first Test, he bowled brilliantly and took three Indian wickets, including those of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, conceding 83 runs at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. His bowling performance in this match also remains his best bowling figures in his Test career so far. As of 2008, in the two Test matches he has played for his country, Sohail Tanvir has taken five wickets.
Sohail Tanvir made his first One Day International (ODI) appearance against South Africa on October 18, 2007. He was part of the Pakistan ODI squad that toured India in 2007 and took eight wickets in the series. During the Asia Cricket Cup in Karachi in June 2008, he scored his first half-century, making 59 runs off 55 balls against Hong Kong. In this match Sohail Tanvir was also involved in a hundred-run partnership along with his teammate, Fawad Alam and helped Pakistan post a formidable score of 288 runs. In another ODI match, he took five Sri Lankan wickets giving away 48 runs in ten overs, which was his first five-wicket haul in ODI matches. As of October 11, 2008, Sohail Tanvir has played 24 ODIs and claimed 36 wickets at a bowling average of 28.11.
Sohail Tanvir played his first Twenty20 International (T20I) match on September 14, 2007 against India in Durban at the inaugural World Twenty20 Cup held in South Africa. His brilliant bowling against Australia in the tournament fetched three wickets for 31 runs in four overs and took his personal wicket tally to nine in eight T20I matches.
In the 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, Sohail Tanvir was signed by the Rajasthan Royals team for $100,000. On May 4, 2008, in his third Twenty20 (T20) match of the IPL tournament, he took six wickets in four overs giving away just 14 runs against Chennai Super Kings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium at Jaipur. His bowling performance not only helped his team win the match but also set a record for the best bowling figures in T20 cricket. He was also awarded the Player of the Match for his spectacular performance.
In the finals of the 2008 IPL Trophy played at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai, on June 1, 2008, Rajasthan Royals again clashed with Chennai Super Kings. This time, Sohail Tanvir proved his batting skills by building a 21-run partnership with the captain Shane Warne, bringing them closer to the target set by the Chennai Super Kings. It was Sohail Tanvir who hit the winning runs off last ball of the match which gave Rajasthan Royals the IPL Trophy. Sohail Tanvir picked up 22 wickets from 11 matches with a bowling average of 12.09 and an economy rate of 6.46 as well as made 36 runs at a strike rate of 124.13 in the IPL tournament that season. Owing to his brilliant bowling performances, Sohail Tanvir was given the ‘Purple Cap’ awarded for the highest wicket-taker of the tournament.
