Zafar Gohar states ambition to bring Gloucestershire back to Division One

Simon Harmer was the only spinner to take more wickets in the County Championship in 2022 despite Zafar, who picked up 47, playing just 11 out of 14 games

Gloucestershire left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar has called on his team to show their "real potential" and regain their spot in Division One of the County Championship.

Zafar, the Pakistani left-arm spinner, has signed a new two-year deal at Bristol.

He was a man in demand, though, and The Cricketer understands that both Middlesex and Surrey were interested in bringing him to London.

Simon Harmer was the only spinner to take more wickets in the County Championship in 2022 despite Zafar, who picked up 47, playing just 11 out of 14 games. He also scored 493 runs at an average of 27.38.

"If you look around the team we've got one of the best talents in English cricket," he told The Sports Store on BBC Radio Bristol. "Hopefully we'll work and perform [at] our real potential next season and get some results."

It took Gloucestershire until their thirteenth game of the season to win for the first time, beating Warwickshire, before finishing the summer by winning against Yorkshire to sign off with consecutive victories.

^{Zafar Gohar has re-signed with Gloucestershire for two more years (Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)}

Zafar, who first joined Gloucestershire on a short-term basis in 2021, began the 2022 campaign as one of three overseas players, with space for two in the side, and he was initially on a pay-as-you-play retainer, which allowed the county to pick him when required.

But he played in Gloucestershire's first three games and, when Naseem Shah suffered a shoulder problem and his replacement, Mohammad Amir, struggled with a hamstring issue, he became an even more important part of Dale Benkenstein's team.

"The last two years I've been loving living and playing with Gloucestershire," he added. "It's my ambition, it's in my mind to bring my team back into Division One.

"Bristol feels like home, honestly, when I'm away from Bristol I miss a lot, I love living there. We have a lot of friends now, it feels like family."

Marcus Harris, Gloucestershire's other overseas player, also has another year on his deal at Bristol.

Related Topics

• Zafar Gohar extends Gloucestershire spell until 2024