Maneer Mirza

Maneer Mohammed Mirza (born 1 April 1978) is an English first-class cricketer: a right-arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman who played for Worcestershire. He was born to Pakistani parents in Birmingham on 1 April 1978 and is the younger brother of another former Worcestershire player, Parvaz Mirza, who died aged 24 in 1995.[1][2]

In the 1996 season, Mirza played five matches for Worcestershire's second XI, taking 15 wickets at an average of 35.26.[3] The following season, Mirza made his first-class debut in Worcestershire's drawn game against Pakistan A at New Road in July 1997. He took 3–136 in his only innings, and two weeks later made his County Championship debut against Kent, taking three wickets in the match.[4] Derek Hodgson of The Times described him as having "a fine delivery action in an impressively sharp spell" and "an interesting, possibly exciting proposition."[2] Having reached the first team he remained there for the rest of the season, playing a total of six first-class games and taking 19 wickets at 32.63; he also appeared in four List A games, but took just one wicket in total.

In July 1998, after two games in the second XI championship, Mirza suffered a stress fracture of the back and was unable to play again that season.[5] He returned for 1999 and 2000, but never managed to force his way back into the First XI, and eventually left Worcestershire in September 2000.[6] He appeared once each for Surrey's and Leicestershire's second teams in 2002, but has never again played first-team county cricket.