Australian deaf cricketer Shahrukh Syed is ready for the International Cricket Inclusion Series against England

Australian deaf cricketer Shahrukh Syed will watch the Benaud-Qadir final tonight with rare happiness, no matter who wins.

«I'm just super excited as Pakistan is my country of birth and Australia is the country that has given me recognition,» Syed said.

«To see both involved in a game of cricket which I love more than anything is something super special and that I will treasure for a long time.

»Australia touring Pakistan is very exciting for me as a cricket fan and, moreover, I wanted it to happen so the cricketers could themselves experience Pakistan as a country."

Like Usman Khawaja, Syed was born in Pakistan but chose to make his life Down Under.

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The similarities do not end there: Both men are husbands, fathers of young children and stylish opening left-hand batters.

«Usman Khawaja is a great ambassador of multiculturalism in Cricket Australia,» Syed said.

«My admiration for him derives from the fact that we've both got the same style of play, as he's also a left-handed opening batter. Watching him go about his business helps me a lot to improve my game as well.»

Syed's representative career has been stalled by COVID-19 for two years.

But it will start up again in June when the International Cricket Inclusion Series is held in Brisbane:

Syed had to learn English and Auslan after moving to Australia in 2014.

«It's been quite hard to learn new languages since moving here in my 20s,» he said. «It's very important for deaf and hard-of-hearing people to be together.»

He can't wait to take on the Poms.

«Playing against England would first up provide me with an opportunity of representing Australia,» Syed said.

He said this, in