Usman Khan: “When I was dropped from the Pakistan team, people told me that I would never make a comeback and that I had already been given enough chances, so I should go back to the UAE”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Usman Khan has revealed that people told him to go back to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when he was dropped from the national team.
Usman switched allegiance from the UAE to become eligible to represent Pakistan.
Despite getting many opportunities, mostly in T20Is, the 31-year-old was unable to make the most of it as inconsistent performances led to him losing his place in the side.
To date, he has played 40 T20Is and accumulated 491 runs, which includes two fifties, at an average of 18.18 and a strike-rate of 121.53.
Usman conceded that he has only himself to blame and is now taking the necessary steps to get another opportunity to play international cricket, including hiring a personal trainer and improving his diet.
“When I was dropped from the Pakistan team, people told me that I would never make a comeback and that I had already been given enough chances, so I should go back to the UAE,” he was quoted as saying by A Sports.
“But I used to tell people that Pakistan had given me enough chances, it was my fault. It was my mistake that I couldn’t perform. Then I hired a personal trainer and improved my diet and fitness.”
Usman is now playing first-class cricket for Hyderabad Kingsmen Academy and has scored 105 runs in two President’s Trophy Grade-I matches, which includes a top score of 62, at an average of 35.
As he is featuring in domestic cricket, the Karachi-born cricketer was not picked for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which the men in green won 2-1.
He also failed to make the cut for the ongoing ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and England.
Pakistan’s Squad for the ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and England: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Sufyan Moqim