As a product of the MRF Pace Foundation, Zaheer Khan turned out for Globe Trotters Sports Club, an MRF outfit, in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association first division league in Chennai in July 2000. A star studded team, Globe Trotters had four current or former India players in their ranks, Aashish Kapoor, WV Raman, Hemang Badani and Thiru Kumaran. Their second encounter was against UFCC at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk.

On the first day of the two day match, Globe Trotters were put in to bat and piled up 306/8 in 81.3 overs thanks to half centuries from Kapoor, Raman and Rajat Bhatia. Zaheer's services as a No.11 bat were not required under the circumstances. UFCC played out seven overs at the fag end of the day. Zaheer commenced proceedings with the new ball in the company of Kumaran with whom he'd gone on a brief coaching stint to the Australian Cricket Academy last season.

The UFCC men held out until stumps but next morning Zaheer struck first blood by removing their skipper and opening bat, M Satheesh leg before for four. Although UFCC lost regular wickets through the day, the score advanced steadily and at 236/6, they were still in the hunt for getting the better of Globe Trotters on first innings. Zaheer however put paid to any such ambition by snuffing out the last three men, former India leg spinner L Sivaramakrishnan, KD Devanand and J Sathish Kumar to see off UFCC's challenge.

Zaheer finished with 4/62 from 16.3 overs, to ensure that Globe Trotters took home five points from the encounter. Three of his four victims were either bowled or leg before, a high ratio that has been a recurrent feature of Zaheer's bowling, indicative of the wicket to wicket line he pursues with such unerring persistence.