Usman Khan (cricketer)

Usman Khan (born 10 May 1995) is a Pakistani cricketer. He made his international debut for Pakistan in the T20I format on 18 April 2024.

Early life
Khan is from Farooqabad, a Town in the Sheikhupura District, and initially played cricket in the Sialkot region.

In 2012, Khan moved to Karachi to seek better cricketing opportunities and joined the Pakistan Cricket Club, where he played under the captaincy of Sarfaraz Ahmed. He found success as an opening batsman and wicket-keeper, performing well in Ramzan cricket tournaments. He also participated in a tournament at the Moin Khan academy, where he was awarded the Player of the Tournament Award. His performances led to his selection in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) by Nadeem Omar.

Domestic career
Khan made his first-class debut for Karachi Whites in the 2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on 9 October 2017. He made his Twenty20 debut on 3 March, 2021, for Quetta Gladiators in the 2021 Pakistan Super League.

In November 2022, Usman was signed by the Chattogram Challengers to play for them in the 2022–23 Bangladesh Premier League. On 9 January 2023, he hit his maiden century in T20 cricket, scoring 103 runs off just 58 balls against the Khulna Tigers, guiding his team to the first win of the tournament by 9 wickets.

On 11 March, 2023, he recorded a century off just 36 deliveries in Pakistan super league which is the fastest by a batter in the league. In PSL 9, he scored two more centuries. He scored 430 runs in just 7 matches for Multan Sultans with an average of 107.5. Usman Khan was set to play for Pakistan and joined Pakistan Team training Camp at Kakul, Abbottabad in April 2024. He made his debut for Pakistan on 20 April, 2024 against New Zealand, in their 2024 T20 tour of Pakistan.

UAE career
In 2020, Khan relocated to Ajman in the United Arab Emirates where he worked in the purchasing department of a gas distribution company. In 2022, he took on employment as a security guard and storekeeper while continuing to play domestic cricket in the UAE alongside his work commitments.

In 2023, Khan announced his intention to qualify for the United Arab Emirates national cricket team, stating "my dream is to play for UAE". He began the process of meeting ICC residency qualifications for the UAE, but subsequently abandoned his attempt to qualify for the UAE after being selected for Pakistan. In April 2024, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) banned Khan from domestic cricket in the UAE for five years, stating he had "misrepresented to ECB about his decision to play for the UAE team" and had "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".

International career
Khan made his Twenty20 International debut for Pakistan against New Zealand in April 2024. In May 2024, he was named in Pakistan’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament.