The 2000s were the time when we were introduced to some great Indian pacers such as Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth who took the cricketing World by storm. From here started the era where there were some pace bowlers who came into the scene. Suddenly there was a big boost in the number of pace bowlers coming into the setup and giving some great performances for the Men in Blue.
One of the pace bowlers who was one of the most underrated performers in international cricket was Munaf Patel. The tall lanky pacer from Gujarat known for his accuracy and hard length bowling with pace gave some great performances in International cricket. Patel went on to finish his career with 125 international wickets from his 86 games.
This might not be an iconic career but still gave us some great moments that Indian cricket will remember for a long time. It is an auspicious day to talk about him on 12 July 2024 when the former paceman will turn 41 years old.
2011 World Cup contribution
Munaf might have given a lot of great performances with the ball during his 5-year career, but he will be known for his impressive contribution in the 2011 World Cup where he was one of the best bowlers for the Indian side. Patel managed to become the third-highest wicket-taker in his side taking 11 wickets in his 8 games which also includes an impressive 4-wicket haul against Bangladesh in the opening game. Patel also bowled an important spell in the semi-final match against Pakistan getting some big wickets in the match.
This was one of the greatest contributions by Munaf Patel, where he became one of the players who contributed to the team becoming World Champions. Munaf Patel might have not played a lot of international games compared to some greats like Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan, but he should be appreciated for his contributions to the Indian side during some of the memorable moments in cricketing history.
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