Usman Khan: 'My dream is not to play for Pakistan - it's to play for UAE'

Representing the UAE national team is not a dream universally held by all aspiring young cricketers in the Emirates, let alone Pakistan.

The lure of a player’s country of origin often supersedes that of the one in which they reside. Not least because the opportunities afforded to players in cricket’s mainstream are so much greater than those – such as UAE – who are vying for attention from the game’s elite.

All of which makes the case of Usman Khan a curious one. The 28-year-old opener grabbed the limelight on one of cricket’s most significant stages earlier this year when he blazed the fastest century in Pakistan Super League history.

His 36-ball showpiece for Multan Sultans against Quetta Gladiators led to speculation that he might be on the brink of a call up for Pakistan.

They were, after all, just about to name an experimental side – with the likes of openers Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan rested – for a three-match T20 series against Afghanistan in Sharjah, which is his home ground.

And yet the prospect did not interest him. Instead he remained focused on qualifying to play for the UAE.

It is hoped he will be eligible for selection, based on the ICC’s three-year residency criteria, later this year, notwithstanding the time he has spent outside the country playing competitions such as PSL and the Bangladesh Premier League.

His ultimate aim is to play an international match against the country for his birth, and excel against them.

“In Pakistan I felt like nobody was looking to me and I wasn’t getting a chance, so I wanted to go somewhere else for an opportunity,” Usman said. “I came to UAE and have worked hard. I just want to work hard then try to make the UAE team once I am eligible.

“When corona[virus] happened,