UAE bans Pakistan-born batter Usman Khan for 5 years

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Emirates Cricket Board banned Pakistan-born Usman Khan for five years on Friday after the batter seemed to show interest in playing for his country of birth.

Khan has been training with Pakistan after he struck back-to-back centuries in the recent Pakistan Super League and caught the eyes of the selectors.

The 28-year-old Khan played the PSL as foreign player for finalist the Multan Sultans, but it seems he is interested in representing Pakistan.

“After a detailed investigation, 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,” an ECB statement said.

The ECB said Khan “is found to have breached his obligations owed to ECB and will therefore not be allowed to participate in ECB-sanctioned tournaments/leagues as well as local events organized under the aegis of councils/academies in UAE for a period of five years.”

The five-year sanction means Khan will be ineligible to play the two main Twenty20 leagues in the United Arab Emirates — ILT20 and Abu Dhabi T10 — until 2029.

The ECB said Khan participated in the ILT20 this year as a local UAE player, and it had an employment contract with the batter for one year.

“This was done to give him security and allow him to fulfil his eligibility criteria that would allow him to represent UAE in international cricket,” the ECB said.

Pakistan is due to play 11 T20s ahead of the T20 World Cup in June in the Caribbean and the United States. Pakistan's preparations include five T20s against New Zealand from later this month at home. Khan is likely to be named.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket