Usman Khan is the real ghost of Asia Cup 2025, not Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan or Shreyas Iyer

The National

12 hours ago

Whatever politics are at play, whatever the motivation behind the omission of Babar Azam from Pakistan's squad for the Asia Cup, he will cope.
So, Mohammad Rizwan has lost his place, too, and been demoted to the B category of Pakistan's central contracts? Well, boo hoo.
It does seem remarkable that Shreyas Iyer has not made the India squad for the competition, which starts in Abu Dhabi on September 9.
But all those trophies he has accrued in his stellar career to date will cushion his fall, not to mention all his IPL millions.
And Yashasvi Jaiswal is certainly unlucky to miss out with the elevation of Shubman Gill to the India squad. But it is all relative.
Then consider the case of Usman Khan. It is both a curious one, and sad, too.
If life had worked out a little differently, the 30-year-old batter from Karachi would have been getting ready to line up for the UAE against Pakistan in this Asia Cup.
He was due to qualify via the ICC's residency criteria in May of this year. That would have meant a debut series in Uganda for which he would definitely have been selected, given his talent, followed by the massive opportunity presented by the Asia Cup.
Usman first stated his intention to play for the UAE in 2021, after arriving to play domestic cricket here during Covid.
He had followed the path trodden by many nondescript players in the past. That of travelling from the subcontinent to the UAE to play cricket for one of the many corporate teams who prop up the domestic game.
Companies offer talented players a wage, a visa, and a job – Usman worked variously as a security guard and a storekeeper - in the hope they will help the staff team win some matches, maybe even some trophies.
Often the players remain anonymous, and return home soon after. Sometimes they stay for longer, and achieve no further honours in cricket, but earn a steady enough income to help their families back at home.
Others catch the eye of the UAE selectors and, in time, graduate to the national team of their by-now adopted country.
And, in very unique circumstances, they excel to the point their homeland wants them back to play in their own national team.
That was what happened to Usman. From the start, he had been genuine in his desire to play for UAE. In 2023, when he first shot to prominence while still a domestic player in the Pakistan Super League, he maintained his position.
'My dream is to play for UAE,' he told The National back then. 'I am working hard to do that. One day I want to play against Pakistan to show them my talent.'
Two years on, and he might have been in a position to do precisely that. The UAE face Pakistan three times over the course of the next few weeks.
First, they are pitted against them and Afghanistan in a tri-series in Sharjah. That is preparation for the Asia Cup itself, in which they are in a group with India, Pakistan and Oman.
But Usman will be nowhere to be seen. He had his head turned by an offer to play for Pakistan. It stands to reason that would be attractive.
He left his shared accommodation near the end of the runway at Dubai International Airport, went to a Pakistan training camp, and an offer to play at the T20 World Cup soon followed.
He went to that tournament, played the giant fixture against India in New York, and even held the catch that dismissed the great Virat Kohli.
Life was great. He remains a player with so much to give. His PSL numbers are fantastic. He is closing in on 1,000 runs at an average of 46.63 and a strike-rate of 156.60.
He has three hundreds, and has stated his intention of becoming the first to score a PSL double hundred.
That might seem far-fetched, but don't doubt him. When he said he wanted to score a double in the UAE's leading domestic limited-overs competition, back in 2023, he did it straight away in a game in Ajman.
But there was always the nagging suspicion Pakistan cricket – that most capricious of institutions – could pick him up, then put him straight back down again.
That is exactly what has come to pass.
He has been conspicuous by his absence from the Pakistan setup since a hamstring injury ruled him out of an international match in New Zealand in April.
While Babar and Rizwan will have to make do with 'just' the $10,600 per month they make after their demotions to Category B central contracts, Usman quietly dropped out of the group earning $1,700 per month.
Maybe there are some who will be dancing on the grave of his career. His decision to opt for Pakistan certainly did not go down well with many of those in the UAE.
Once he had signalled his change of heart, the Emirates Cricket Board banned him from all of their competitions for five years.
'[He] has used the opportunities and development provided by the ECB to him to seek out other prospects and it was evident he was no longer wanting to play for ECB nor complete the eligibility criteria which he was under an obligation to do,' they said in April 2024.
That means no place for him in the DP World International League T20. He had been one of the most sought after players vying for one of the lucrative deals open to local players to play in that event. In particular, Andy Flower – his coach in both ILT20 and PSL – was a big fan.
That door is closed to him, and now so, it seems, is Pakistan.
So don't waste tears on the likes of Babar, Rizwan, or Iyer. They will all be back to fight another day. But Usman? There are no guarantees.