Bjorn Fortuin, who has played 1 ODI and 7 T20Is for South Africa thus far, and has also picked up 6 wickets in T20Is, recently, entered into the wedlock, and after his wedding has reverted to Islam.
After his wedding on 25th April 2021, Fortuin has changed his name to Imaad. The marriage between Fortuin and his wife Mieshke Aysen took place on the morning of 25th April 2021. An Instagram post that was shared by Fortuin stated that he took his Shahadah during the auspicious month of Ramadan, and he chose the name Imaad.
“Last night Bjorn took his Shahada. Alhamdulillah, and during the month of Ramadan. He chose the name Imaad. So proud of you,” read the caption on a photo that was shared by Fortuin on Instagram.
In fact, Fortuin is the second cricketer from South Africa to revert to Islam. Earlier, left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell had also reverted to Islam. Parnell played 65 ODIs and 40 T20Is for the South African side.
While he picked up 94 wickets in the ODI format of the game, Parnell also scalped 41 wickets in T20I cricket. Parnell also featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The South African cricketer played 26 matches in the cash-rich Indian T20 league and picked up 26 wickets.
Well, now coming back to Fortuin, he was last seen in a South African jersey on 16th April 2021, in the 4th T20I between South Africa and Pakistan. Fortuin scored 8 runs off 6 deliveries with the bat. He also bowled 3 overs, gave away 26 runs, and picked up the important wicket of Pakistan wicketkeeper and opening batsman Mohammed Rizwan. And as far as the match result is concerned, Pakistan beat South Africa with 3 wickets to spare.