[6] After impressing coaches at the National Cricket Academy, Irfan got several offers from first-class teams including Habib Bank and ZTBL.

[9] Before he was offered a lucrative break in cricket, Irfan contemplated giving up the game and was working for a plastic pipe company.

[10] Irfan announced that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to represent them in the 2011 IPL Season.

However the contract needed to be approved by the Board of Control for Cricket in India[11][12][13][14] Irfan's contract also required approval from the Pakistan Cricket Board[15] On 3 June 2018, he was selected to play for the Edmonton Royals in the players' draft for the inaugural edition of the Global T20 Canada tournament.

[18] In August 2018, during the 2018 Caribbean Premier League, Irfan conceded just 1 run and grabbed 2 wickets from 4 overs, bowling for the Barbados Tridents against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

However, Irfan's ODI debut against England in 2010 saw a reduction by 9 overs in the match due to bad weather conditions.

This was mainly due to his speed in the debut series against England; it underwhelmed many as it only showed 130–135 km/h (81–84 mph) on the velocity radar.

Irfan was seen as a prominent figure in the series win against India as he emerged as the wild card that propelled Pakistan to victory.

[25] Irfan's improvement did not go unnoticed, as the Pakistan selectors touted him "the surprise package" in South Africa in March 2013.

[26] Irfan was suspended from all forms of cricket on 29 March 2017 by the PCB for failing to report two approaches to corrupt the game during the 2017 Pakistan Super League.

Irfan can have his suspension lifted after six months if he assists the PCB in its ongoing investigations and doesn't breach the anti corruption code during that time.