In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).[5][6]
Rana Faheem Ashraf is the first Pakistani to take a hat-trick in the T20 format of the game. His heroics on the pitch earned him the nickname "Rana Faheem Stokes" by the Pakistani cricket fans.
Early life and career
Born into a Muslim Rajput family in Phool Nagar, a town located in Kasur, Punjab, his father Rana Muhammad Ashraf is an influential lawyer.[7]
Faheem began his professional cricket journey in 2010 by playing in the inter-district Under-19 competition in the Faisalabad region. Later, he played for the Faisalabad Under-19 team before being remarked in 2013, when he played at senior district-level tournament for Kasur, eventually integrating the Faisalabad team for the 2013–14 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.[9]
In an ICC Champions Trophy warm-up match against Bangladesh, Ashraf scored 64 runs in Pakistan's two-wicket win.[16][17] He made his ODI debut for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy on 12 June 2017, dismissing Dinesh Chandimal for his first ODI wicket.[18]
In April 2018, he was named in Pakistan's Test squad for their tours to Ireland and England in May 2018.[22] He made his Test debut for Pakistan, against Ireland, on 11 May 2018.[23][24]
In April 2019, he was named in Pakistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[27][28] However, on 20 May 2019, he was dropped from Pakistan's squad, after they announced their final team for the tournament.[29][30]
In June 2020, he was named in a 29-man squad for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic.[31][32] In July, he was shortlisted in Pakistan's 20-man squad for the Test matches against England.[33][34]
In January 2021, he was named in Pakistan's Test squad for their series against South Africa.[35][36] In the first Test, Ashraf scored 64 with the bat.[37]
T20 franchise career
PSL career
In November 2017, he was drafted in by Islamabad United from Gold category (earning between US$50,000-US$60,000) in the 2018 Pakistan Super League players draft.[38] Faheem played an integral part in team's winning the 2018 season. Faheem took 18 wickets and scored runs in crucial moments for his side. He was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament and won the best bowler of the season award at the end of the season along with a maroon cap.[39]
^Das, Vishnu (24 February 2023). "Faheem Ashraf Biography". StarsUnzip. His father didn't want him to be a cricket player, as he explained in an interview on the TV show. There are two sisters and seven brothers the entire family of Faheem.
Haris Sohail was not initially in the squad, but was named as replacement for Umar Akmal. Rumman Raees was not initially in the squad, but was named as replacement for injured Wahab Riaz.
Asif Ali, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz were not initially in the squad, but were named as replacements for Abid Ali, Faheem Ashraf and Junaid Khan in the final squad.