Shekhar124689 at 21:07, 23 August 2023

2023-08-23T21:07:14Z

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{{short description|English cricketer}}
{{Use dmy dates}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Amar Virdi
| image =1 36 Amar Virdi.jpg
| country = England
| fullname = Guramar Singh Virdi
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|7|19|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Chiswick]], London, England
| heightft = 5
| heightinch = 10
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling = Right-arm [[off break]]
| role = [[Bowler (cricket)|Bowler]]
| club1 = [[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey]]
| year1 = {{nowrap|2016–present}}
| clubnumber1 = 19
| club2 = → [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]] (on loan)
| year2 = 2022
| clubnumber2 =

| type1 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| debutdate1 = 26 May
| debutyear1 = 2017
| debutfor1 = Surrey
| debutagainst1 = [[Essex County Cricket Club|Essex]]
| type2 = [[List A cricket|List A]]
| debutdate2 = 2 August
| debutyear2 = 2022
| debutfor2 = Surrey
| debutagainst2 = [[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire]]
| columns = 2
| column1 = [[First-class cricket|FC]]
| matches1 = 41
| runs1 = 229
| bat avg1 = 9.54
| 100s/50s1 = 0/0
| top score1 = 21[[Not out|*]]
| deliveries1 = 6,903
| wickets1 = 123
| bowl avg1 = 30.71
| fivefor1 = 5
| tenfor1 = 1
| best bowling1 = 8/61
| catches/stumpings1 = 10/–
| column2 = [[List A cricket|LA]]
| matches2 = 10
| runs2 = 31
| bat avg2 = 5.16
| 100s/50s2 = 0/0
| top score2 = 8
| deliveries2 = 300
| wickets2 = 7
| bowl avg2 = 41.42
| fivefor2 = 0
| tenfor2 = 0
| best bowling2 = 3/38
| catches/stumpings2 = 1/–
| date = 23 August 2023
| source = https://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/1037701.html Cricinfo
}}
'''Guramar Singh Virdi''' (born 19 July 1998), known as '''Amar Virdi''', is an English [[cricket]]er.<ref>{{Cite book| editor-last=Marshall |editor-first =Ian |title=Playfair Cricket Annual, 2017 |year=2017 |publisher=Headline |isbn=978-1-4722-3256-4| page =173}}</ref> An off-spin bowler,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/53199096 |title=Amar Virdi: Surrey spinner believes he can win England Test place |work=BBC Sport |access-date=26 June 2020}}</ref> Virdi played in two Under-19 internationals for England against Sri Lanka in 2016.<ref name="Bio">{{Cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/1037701.html |title=Amar Virdi |access-date=29 May 2017 |work=ESPN Cricinfo}}</ref> He made his [[first-class cricket|first-class]] debut for [[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey]] in the [[2017 County Championship]] on 26 May 2017.<ref name="FC">{{Cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/1068544.html |title=Specsavers County Championship Division One, Essex v Surrey at Chelmsford, May 26-29, 2017 |access-date=26 May 2017 |work=ESPN Cricinfo}}</ref>

==Career==
Virdi was the leading English-born spin bowler in the [[2018 County Championship]] with 39 wickets.<ref>{{cite web |date=8 July 2019|last1=Hobson |first1=Richard |title=Amar Virdi substitute appearance for Surrey blocked by last-minute ECB ruling |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27146738/amar-virdi-substitute-appearance-surrey-blocked-last-minute-ecb-ruling |website=Cricinfo |access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref> He struggled with a stress injury to his back in January 2019, which kept him out of the opening weeks of the 2019 cricket season, and was asked by Surrey to lose some weight and improve his fitness while he recovered.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/notts-doomed-as-amar-virdi-leads-spinning-show-xdfgz9m27|title = Notts doomed as Amar Virdi leads spinning show|last1 = Scott|first1 = Neville}}</ref> Surrey's director of cricket, [[Alec Stewart]], called it "tough love".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/news/amar_virdi_responding_tough_love_surrey_seek_improvement.html|title=Amar Virdi responding to tough love as Surrey seek improvement|website=www.thecricketer.com}}</ref> When Virdi returned to the Surrey team in mid-July for his first match of the season he took 14 wickets in the victory over [[Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club|Nottinghamshire]]: 8 for 61 and 6 for 78.<ref>{{cite web |date=15 July 2019|last1=Culley|first1=Jon|title=Amar Virdi claims 14 wickets for the match as Surrey crush Nottinghamshire |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8052/report/1166950/nottinghamshire-vs-surrey-specsavers-county-championship-division-one-2019 |website=Cricinfo |access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref>

On 29 May 2020, Virdi was named in a 55-man group of players to begin training ahead of international fixtures starting in England following the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ecb.co.uk/england/men/news/1674230/england-men-confirm-back-to-training-group |title=England Men confirm back-to-training group |work=England and Wales Cricket Board |access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/29239315/alex-hales,-liam-plunkett-left-england-name-55-man-training-group |title=Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett left out as England name 55-man training group |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref> On 17 June 2020, Virdi was included in England's 30-man squad to start training [[Behind closed doors (sport)|behind closed doors]] for the [[Test cricket|Test]] series [[West Indian cricket team in England in 2020|against the West Indies]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1683417 |title=England announce 30-man training squad ahead of first West Indies Test |work=International Cricket Council |access-date=17 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/1225177.html |title=Moeen Ali back in Test frame as England name 30-man training squad |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=17 June 2020}}</ref>

In December 2020, Virdi was named as one of seven reserve players in England's [[Test cricket|Test]] squad for their series [[English cricket team in Sri Lanka in 2020–21|against Sri Lanka]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/england-in-sri-lanka-2020-21-ben-stokes-jofra-archer-rested-for-england-test-tour-of-sri-lanka-1243521 |title=Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer rested for England Test tour of Sri Lanka |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=11 December 2020}}</ref> In January 2021, he was also named as a reserve player in England's Test squad for their series [[English cricket team in India in 2020–21|against India]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/55747795 |title=India v England: Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer return to Joe Root's squad for first two Tests in Ahmedabad |work=BBC Sport |access-date=21 January 2021}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Virdi is a practising [[Sikh]].<ref name="quart">{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/25301992/surrey-england-graduates-inspire-amar-virdi-set-sights-higher-honours |title=Surrey's England graduates inspire Amar Virdi to set sights on higher honours |work=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=29 July 2019}}</ref> His family originate from the [[Punjab]], but his parents emigrated to the UK from [[Kenya]] and [[Uganda]].<ref name="quart"/> He grew up in a sporting family: his father represented Kenya in junior [[tennis]] and his brother introduced him to cricket.<ref name="quart"/> As a teenager, he turned down offers of scholarships from private schools because he didn't wish to board, and because he had been playing adult cricket since he was 13.<ref name="quart"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cricinfo|id=1037701}}

{{Surrey County Cricket Club squad}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Virdi, Amar}}
[[Category:1998 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:Surrey cricketers]]
[[Category:Somerset cricketers]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Chiswick]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Greater London]]
[[Category:English people of Punjabi descent]]
[[Category:English Sikhs]]

Amar Virdi - Revision history

Shekhar124689 at 21:07, 23 August 2023