UAE batter Usman Khan included in Pakistan's training camp ahead of NZ T20I series
In the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024, Usman featured as a registered overseas player for the Multan Sultans and ended the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer.
Usman Khan (X)
KAKUL [Pakistan]: Pakistan-born UAE's top-order batter, Usman Khan, along with 28 other players, has been called for Pakistan's training camp in Kakul, which will begin on Tuesday and run until April 8.
In the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024, Usman featured as a registered overseas player for the Multan Sultans and ended the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) didn't provide any reason for the inclusion of Usman in the camp. According to ESPNcricinfo, Usman can still switch back to Pakistan and has yet to make an appearance for the UAE cricket team.
PCB released a statement on Monday to announce the list of 29 players who will be a part of the training camp, which is being organised in collaboration with the Pakistan Army and will help the team gear up for their upcoming T20I series against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup.
"The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announces that 29 players will undergo a fitness camp in Kakul, Abbottabad. The camp, organised in collaboration with the Pakistan Army, is strategically designed to prepare the players for the upcoming series and tournaments, including the home T20I series against New Zealand, the away T20I series against Ireland and England, and the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies," PCB said in a statement.
The training camp will also see the likes of Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir and Haris Rauf. Pakistan all-rounder Imad recently reversed his decision to retire from international cricket after a successful stint with Islamabad United in the PSL.
On Sunday, Amir took back his international retirement, which made him available for Pakistan's T20I series against New Zealand and the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan's home five-match T20I series against New Zealand will begin on April 18 and concludes on April 27.
Rauf, who fell out of favour after opting out of Pakistan's Test series against Australia in December, is also included in the camp. Last month, Rauf's contract was terminated but on Sunday, his contract was reinstated after PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi acknowledged that the decision taken was incorrect.
Pakistan players part of training camp: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Haseebullah, Saud Shakeel, Usman Khan, Mohammad Haris, Salman Ali Agha, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Irfan Khan Niazi, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mehran Mumtaz, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Ali, Zaman Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Aamir Jamal, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Amir.