Usman Khan banned by Emirates Cricket Board for 5 years

The Emirates Cricket Board has slapped a five-year ban on Usman Khan, with the apex cricket body issuing a statement accusing him of breaching the obligations to them. The ban means the right-handed batter cannot play in any of the UAE-affiliated competitions like ILT20, Abu Dhabi T10 or others until 2029.

The board feels the 28-year-old has misrepresented his intentions to them of wanting to play for UAE, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

"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, and it was evident that he was no longer wanting to play for ECB nor complete the eligibility criteria which he was under an obligation to do."

The dissatisfaction arose from Usman's decision to partake in the recent Pakistan camp for fitness purposes despite not showing much interest to wear the green jersey during a recent interview with ESPN Cricinfo.

It's unclear whether the work permit the 28-year-old held in the UAE will also be voided due to the ban.

Usman Khan was the second-highest run-getter in PSL 2024

The prolific cricketer's call-up to the Pakistan camp ahead of an important year for the men's team came on the back of his stellar year for the Multan Sultans.

The right-hander smashed two of four centuries in the tournament for the Multan Sultans, aggregating 430 runs in seven innings, averaging 107.30. His tally of 430 was only behind Babar Azam's 569.

He also struck at a whopping 164.12. The Karachi-born batter is in line to earn a spot in the T20I squad for the five-game T20I series against New Zealand, beginning on April 18 in Rawalpindi. Pakistan also have T20I series lined up against England and Ireland before the T20 World Cup, which commences on June 2.