Sami Sohail

Sami Sohail (born 29 January 2002) is a Malawian cricket player. He has played for the Malawi national cricket team since 2018 as an all-rounder, batting right-handed and bowling right-arm medium pace.

Sami Sohail
Personal information
Born (2002-01-29) 29 January 2002
Islamabad, Pakistan
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
RoleAll-rounder
International information
National side
T20I debut (cap 63)6 November 2019 v Mozambique
Last T20I30 May 2023 v Botswana
Source: Cricinfo, 12 September 2023

Personal life

Sohail was born on 29 January 2002 in Pakistan.[1] He moved to Malawi with his parents at the age of three, with his parents running a grocery store and restaurant in Lilongwe. He attended a local private school and played cricket from a young age with other members of the South Asian community in Malawi.[2]

Career

Early career

Sohail was under the Malawian cricket radar early, and played under the developmental academy, the Cricket Academy, before being eventually selected for the national under-19 team in 2017, and then being made under-19 captain in April 2020.[3] Sohail was then selected for the Malawi national team in 2018 for the 2018-19 ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier after his performance following his under-19 performances the year prior.[4][5]

International career

Sohail made his T20 debut on October 28, 2018 at the age of 16, against Namibia.[6] He then continued to play consistently for the Malawian team after his debut.[7][8] However, the Malawian team placed 5th and were unable to qualify for the 2019 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.[9]

Following Sohail's good performance in the Africa Qualifiers, he was selected in Malawi's squad for the 2019 T20 Kwacha Cup.[10] Additionally, due to the ICC's decision to award every member T20I status, each match in the 2019 T20 Kwacha Cup had T20I status.[11] Sohail made his T20I debut on 6 November 2019, against Mozambique in the opening match of the Kwacha Cup.[12][13] He was a regular in the side, as he scored 115 runs and took 14 wickets.[14][13] Unfortunately, after the Kwacha Cup, Sohail didn't play for the rest of 2020 and the majority of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15]

Sohail marked his return to international cricket with his selection into the Malawian side for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in October 2021.[16] Sohail played the tournament on a regular basis,[17] and scored 197 runs, and took 6 wickets.[18] The Malawians placed a record 3rd, but were still unable to qualify for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup qualifiers.[18]

Franchise and club career

Sohail represented the Chicago Tigers in the 2022 Minor League Cricket season, becoming the second Malawian to play in an international franchise league after Donnex Kansonkho. During the 2023 English cricket season he signed with Eckington in the Derbyshire County Cricket League.[2]

References
  1. "Sami Sohail". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  2. Wigmore, Tim (12 September 2023). "The Malawi batsman with a better T20 average than Virat Kohli". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  3. @malawipage (11 April 2020). "Sami Sohail U19 captain of Malawi, Africa and National player!" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 July 2022 – via Twitter.
  4. Khan, Muhammad (17 October 2018). "Pakistan's Moazzam Baig selected for Malawi's cricket team". Dawn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  5. "Five Pak players named in Malawi T20 team". The News International. 7 October 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  6. Sibu M. Mokoena (September 13, 2023). "Malawi's Sami Sohail: A Rising Cricket Star With a Remarkable T20 Average". Malawi24. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  7. Schütz, Helge (31 October 2018). "Namibia cricketers off to great start". The Namibian. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  8. "Hosts notch big wins as Africa Qualifiers take a breather". International Cricket Council. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  9. "Six teams looking to keep T20 World Cup dreams alive in Africa Final". International Cricket Council. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  10. "2019 T20 Kwacha Cup". Malawi Cricket Union (via Facebook). 4 November 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  11. "T20s between all ICC members to have international status". ESPNcricinfo. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  12. Mpaso, Ronald (9 November 2019). "Malawi on course for Kwacha Cup glory". The Daily Times. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  13. Paul, William (2 February 2022). "Most wickets by a bowler in a bilateral T20I series: Know the record holders". Sportsadda. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  14. "Kwacha T20 Men's Cup, 2019/20 Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  15. Lahiri, Dipankar (11 April 2021). "From cricket to athletics, how Covid-19 has hit the sporting world and will change it". Indian Express Limited. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  16. "Malawi Cricket team in Rwanda for World Cup qualifiers". Malawi24. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  17. "Global Game: USA win ICC Women's T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier". Emerging Cricket. International Cricket Council. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  18. Chingaipe, Gladys (29 October 2021). "Malawi Cricket national team starved". Nyasa Times. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
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