5 interesting facts about Usman Khan, the UAE-banned batter picked in Pakistan's T20I squad
Usman Khan is a top-order batter named in Pakistan's squad for their upcoming T20I series against New Zealand. The 28-year-old was born in Karachi and could have directly played for Pakistan, but he instead went to the UAE and became eligible to play for the Emirati team.
A few weeks ago, Khan came to Pakistan, where he participated in the 2024 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). After some impressive performances, Khan received a chance to attend the Pakistan national team's camp. Since Khan was technically a UAE player, the Emirates Cricket Board banned him for five years for attending another team's camp.
Just five days after being banned by UAE, Khan now finds himself in the Pakistan T20I squad. Before he makes his international debut, here's a list of five interesting things that fans should know about Pakistan's newest batter.
#1 Usman Khan played domestic cricket in Pakistan before moving to UAE
Khan was born on May 10, 1995, in Karachi. He loved cricket and joined the Karachi Whites domestic team of Pakistan. After representing Karachi Whites at the first-class level in 2017, Khan moved to the UAE.
He lived in the Gulf nation and became eligible to play for them. However, his recent actions compelled the Emirates Cricket Board to take strict action against him.
#2 Usman Khan worked as a security guard and storekeeper in UAE
Khan worked odd jobs during his stay in the United Arab Emirates. While he played cricket at the club level in the Gulf nation, he also worked as a security guard and a storekeeper to make ends meet.
After his consistent performances in club cricket, Khan also earned contracts from Delhi Bulls in the Abu Dhabi T10 and Gulf Giants in the UAE's International League T20 tournaments.
#3 Usman Khan has smashed 4 centuries in 36 T20 innings
One of the major reasons why Pakistan selected Khan in their T20I squad is his aggressive batting style. In his short T20 career of 36 matches, the right-handed batter has already registered four centuries and as many half-centuries.
He has aggregated 1,207 runs at a fantastic average of 38.93 and a strike rate of 146.12. Notably, Khan has smacked 139 fours and 40 sixes in 36 innings.
#4 Usman Khan has played only one List-A match in his career
Khan has a brilliant record in T20s, but he has played very few matches in the longer formats of cricket. He has not turned up in a single red-ball match after playing for the Karachi Whites in 2017, while his only List-A appearance came last year for Agrani Bank Cricket Club against Prime Bank Cricket Club in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League.
Opening the batting for Agrani Bank, Khan scored 53 runs off 91 balls before Taijul Islam dismissed him. Some well-known Bangladeshi players like Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahedi Hasan, and Anamul Haque played in that game.
#5 Usman Khan made his T20 debut under Sarfaraz Ahmed's captaincy
Sarfaraz Ahmed is one of the most successful captains in Pakistan's cricket history. The wicketkeeper batter also led the Quetta Gladiators for a long time in the PSL.
Back in 2021, Ahmed picked young Usman Khan in his team's playing XI for the match against Multan Sultans. Khan smacked a 50-ball 81 to help Quetta win by 22 runs. In the recent PSL 2024 season, he was a part of the Multan team.