Safyaan Mohammed Sharif (born 24 May 1991) is a Scottish cricketer.^[1] He is a right-arm fast-medium bowler and a right-handed batsman. He made his international debut for Scotland in June 2011.

Sharif was born on 24 May 1991 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, to parents of Pakistani ancestry.^[2][3] His father, Mohammed, was a regular first XI player for Upper Largo.^[4]

Sharif grew up in Buckhaven. He began playing cricket as a teenager, representing Largo Lions at junior level before progressing to the senior team between 2006 and 2008. He also played for other Fife clubs, including Dunnikier (Kirkcaldy) and Dunfermline and Carnegie.^[4]

In May 2018, Sharif was signed by the English side Derbyshire County Cricket Club to play in the 2018 Royal London One-Day Cup and 2018 t20 Blast tournaments.^[5] In June 2019, he was selected to play for the Edmonton Royals franchise team in the 2019 Global T20 Canada tournament.^[6]

In July 2019, Sharif was selected to play for the Glasgow Giants in the inaugural edition of the Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament.^[7][8] However, the following month the tournament was cancelled, reportedly after the organizers ran into financial difficulties.^[9]

Since 2023, Sharif has played for Perth Doo'cot in the North East Championship.^[10]

Sharif made his debut for Scotland in a One Day International (ODI) against the Netherlands in the 2011-13 Intercontinental Cup One-Day competition in June 2011, taking figures of 4/27.^[11] The following month, he played two further One Day International's in the tri-nation series against Ireland and Sri Lanka, with both matches played at The Grange, Edinburgh.^[12]

He later made four List A appearances against English counties in the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40.^[13] In September 2011, Sharif made his first-class debut in the 2011–13 ICC Intercontinental Cup against Namibia at the Wanderers Cricket Ground, Windhoek.^[14] Following the match, he played in Scotland's two List A matches against Namibia, which formed part of the ICC Intercontinental Cup One-Day competition.^[13] During the tour, he also made four Twenty20 appearances against the hosts,^[15] taking 8 wickets at an average of 10.37, with the best figures of 3/29.^[16]

In February 2012, Sharif made his second first-class appearance against the United Arab Emirates in the Intercontinental Cup.^[14] He was selected as part of Scotland's squad for the World Twenty20 Qualifier which proceeds their series against the United Arab Emirates.^[17]

In March 2018, during the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier match against Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Sharif took his first five-wicket haul in ODIs.^[18] The match finished as a tie, with Sharif named as the player of the match, with figures of five wickets for 33 runs off 8.4 overs.^[19] Following the conclusion of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Sharif as the rising star of Scotland's squad.^[20]

In September 2019, Sharif was named in Scotland's squad for the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament in the United Arab Emirates.^[21] He was the leading wicket-taker for Scotland in the tournament, with thirteen dismissals in seven matches.^[22] In September 2021, Sharif was named in Scotland's provisional squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.^[23]

In May 2024, he was named in Scotland’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament.^[24]

On 12 June 2025, Sharif took his 259th wicket for Scotland across all formats in an ODI against the Netherlands at Forthill to become the record wicket-taker for his country.^[25]

• Safyaan Sharif at ESPNcricinfo