Abdul Hafeez (English cricketer)
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| Born |
21 March 1977 (age 39) Moseley, Birmingham, Warwickshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting style | Right-handed batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | Right arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Cricinfo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abdul Hafeez (born 21 March 1977) is an English cricketer: an opening batsman and occasional medium-pace bowler who had a brief county cricket career with Worcestershire. He was born in Moseley, Birmingham.
He played a number of games for Warwickshire's Second XI in 1996 and 1997, having progressed through the age-groups from under-14 level. He was part of the Second XI Championship winning side for Warwickshire in 1996.
Hafeez caught the eye of neighbours Worcestershire in 1997 after having scored over 750 runs for Moseley Cricket Club's First XI in the Birmingham and District Premier League that summer. He made his first-class debut in April 1998 against Essex at New Road. He played a further nine first-class games that season, smashing a career-best 55 off 53 balls to lead Worcestershire to a five wicket championship win over Gloucestershire, whose bowling attack included Courtney Walsh, Mike Smith, and Jon Lewis.
In 1999, Hafeez had fewer opportunities, playing only four first-class matches, despite scoring over 800 runs for the Second XI in what was only his second year on the county staff. However, to the surprise of many, Hafeez was released at the end of the season. Following his departure, he played one further game for Shropshire, against Ireland in the 2000 NatWest Trophy.
He then played for several years for the recreational Worcestershire Cricket Board team, making several appearances in the NatWest Trophy's replacement, the C&G Trophy, including a game against the professional Worcestershire side in May 2003.
In 2002, he joined Dorridge Cricket Club in the Warwickshire Cricket League, and played an integral part in their successive promotions to the Birmingham and District Premier League's Division One. He captained the club from 2006-2009, and by the end of the 2009 season, had amassed 5,156 runs at an average of 50.06. In 2009, he was named Midlands Club Cricket Conference Cricketer of the Year.
In 2010, Hafeez returned to Moseley Cricket Club to captain the First XI. He remained captain until the end of the 2013 season when he decided to step down. The Birmingham and District Premier League celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2013, with Hafeez being selected to represent the 'pre-1998' team, compromising of players from the League's founding clubs, to play against a 'post-1998' team. The match took place at Kidderminster Victoria Cricket Club and Hafeez, despite heading towards the twilight years of his career, scored a magnificent century in what has since been regarded as an historic fixture.