Zafar Ansari: Who is the England spinner headed to the UAE?

Zafar Ansari has been called up as England's third spinner for the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE - but what you need to know about the multi-talented Surrey star?

Here are his key details, including how his skills are not just limited to the cricket pitch…

Injury scare for Ansari

Zafar Ansari was taken to hospital on Tuesday just hours after being named in the England Test squad

First-class stats (numbers correct as of Sep 15)

Matches: 56
Wickets: 100
Best bowling: 6/30
Bowling average: 35.13
Runs: 2469
HS: 112
Batting average: 32.06

How has he bowled his season?

The slow left-armer has taken 44 wickets for Surrey in the County Championship, with three five-fors and a best of 6-30 against Gloucestershire in June, to help his side earn promotion to the top flight. Ansari has also seized 10 scalps during Surrey's run to the Royal London One-Day Cup Final - they tackle Gloucestershire in the showpiece game at Lord's on Saturday. Perhaps picking the brains of Adil Rashid while on the England Performance Programme in Sri Lanka over the winter has paid off.

He can bat a bit as well, can't he?

Yes, proving it on Monday with a score of 99 against Lancashire at Old Trafford. Not bad timing, eh? Ansari has scored three first-class tons and 13 half-centuries since making his Surrey debut in 2011, cementing his spot as one of the county's openers thanks to his patient rather than potent style. The Berkshire-born player's solitary ton this term came in the recent win over Derbyshire, but he has been steady, notching in excess of 700 runs at an average of 38.40, and showed he had the ability to clump the ball when he drilled a 32-ball 66 in the NatWest T20 Blast. Those skills with the blade could make him a sound choice should Moeen Ali or Rashid pick up a knock in the UAE - and perhaps even an outside contender to open with Alastair Cook.

Haven't I seen him in an England shirt before?

You have if you are a devout watcher of England Under-19 cricket or if you saw England's blink-and-you'll miss it one-dayer with Ireland in Malahide in May. Ansari was one of five ODI debutants - alongside Surrey pal Jason Roy, James Vince, David Willey and Mark Wood - in a game that lasted just 18 overs due to inclement weather in Dublin. Ansari was not chucked the ball after stand-in England skipper James Taylor chose to bowl, so had to content himself with jogging around the outfield and high-fiving his team-mates as the visitors reduced Ireland to 56-4.

Is he a man for the big occasion?

Ansari showed his skills while playing for Cambridge University against Surrey in 2011, taking 5-33 including the prize wicket of Kevin Pietersen, and then shone on his T20 debut for his county. He biffed 30 from 18 balls against Essex after coming in at No 7 with Surrey in a dicey position and then bowled four frugal overs to help tee up the side's 43-run win before duly being named Man of the Match. That aforementioned 99 against Lancashire on Monday with the selectors' eyes firmly on him is another example of him not buckling under pressure.

He's somewhat of a bright spark, isn't he?

Ansari has a double-first from Cambridge in politics and sociology and is currently writing his masters, a 40,000-word piece on the American south's civil rights movement in the 1960s. An adept piano player to boot, Ansari has refused to rule out a PhD in future.

"A number of spinners in England are perfectly good at doing a defensive job but perhaps not so strong when they need to take wickets. I believe Zafar is just as good at both and, at 23, he can only improve."

What do they say about him?

Surrey captain Gareth Batty: "I believe Zafar is the best young slow bowler in the country. I've always been impressed by the way he thinks about the game. There is an awful lot of help and coaching for players today and sometimes, as a consequence of that, young cricketers do not think for themselves. Zafar, on the other hand, knows exactly where he wants to go.

"He is clear about how to bowl as a modern spinner, who needs to attack and defend at the same time. A number of spinners in England are perfectly good at doing a defensive job but perhaps not so strong when they need to take wickets. I believe Zafar is just as good at both and, at 23, he can only improve. Although he is a quiet lad, he will have no problem fitting into the England dressing room. People talk about how quickly Joe Root has adapted to the international game and Zafar is a similarly fast learner."

Sky Sports' Nick Knight: "I have not seen a tremendous amount of him but if you look at his numbers he is probably a batter batsman than bowler. The selectors are signalling their intentions, not only by picking a left-arm spinner to complement what they have already but also by showing they want spinners who are more two or-three dimensional and can contribute with the bat and in the field. Moeen and Rashid fit that bill, so does Ansari."

Sky Sports' Bob Willis: "He is an excellent all-round cricketer. He is probably not the third-best spinner in the country but he is capable and is there as a safety-valve in case of injury or illness at the 23rd hour. He is a bright button and knows all about life so it is a very sensible selection."

See how Ansari fares in Surrey's Royal London One-Day Cup Final against Gloucestershire live on Sky Sports from 10am, Saturday, Sky Sports 2.

England's tour of the UAE is live on Sky Sports, starting with the opening Test, in Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday, October 13.