Banned by UAE, selected by Pakistan! All you need to know about Usman Khan

Usman Khan smashed 430 runs in seven matches in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced their squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The series will be played from April 18 to 27. However, they have named Usman Khan, who formally switched from the UAE to Pakistan earlier this month.

The 28-year-old cricketer was the second-highest run scorer in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL). Usman smashed 430 runs in seven matches including two centuries.

The newly appointed senior team manager Wahab Riaz backed Usman’s selection. “Usman has been scoring runs for the last two-three years so he deserved selection and if there are any other issues Pakistan Cricket Board will be dealing with them,” Riaz told media while announcing the squad. 

Who is Usman Khan?

Usman Khan was born on May 10, 1995 in Karachi. The right-handed batter was living and playing in the United Arab Emirates with the intention of representing the Gulf country. However, he was called up to the Pakistan camp after smashing back-to-back centuries in the PSL 2024.

So far, the 28-year-old has featured in four different leagues across the globe. Usman played 11 matches in the Bangladesh Premier League and smashed 296 runs.

Khan also featured in 12 games of the Abu Dhabi League, where he amassed 168 runs. In PSL, Khan has played 17 games and amassed 747 runs so far. In The Hundred tournament, the stylish batter has played just four games, where he hammered 161 runs.

The UAE-banned cricketer has played two First-Class (FC) matches and has scored 39 runs. In List A cricket, Khan has featured in just one game and has smashed 53 runs. In overall T20s, Khan has 1207 runs to his name in 36 outings so far.

Why UAE banned Usman Khan?

Earlier this month, the 28-year-old cricketer was banned from the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) for five years after he joined Pakistan training camp in order to play for his birth country.

Usman was “found to have breached his obligations owed to Emirates Cricket Board,” said a statement from the UAE governing body.

“After a detailed investigation, Usman was found to have misrepresented to ECB about his decision to play for the UAE team and has used the opportunities and development provided by the ECB to him to seek out other prospects.”

Pakistan’s squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand

Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohmmad Amir, Muhammad Irfan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan

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