“Usman, has been banned for five years, his punishment was undoubtedly expected. Now an official announcement has come. Due to breach of contract with the board, this Pakistani-born batsman has been banned for five years by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). During this time, he will not be able to play in any tournaments organized or approved by the ECB, including the IPL, T20 leagues in Abu Dhabi, among others.
Recently, cricketer Usman, born in Karachi, expressed his desire to play for Pakistan. He was also called to the preparation camp for the New Zealand series in Pakistan. Immediately after that, the investigation began by the ECB. At the end of the investigation, on Friday (April 5th), the ECB announced through a statement that this 28-year-old cricketer has breached the contract with the board and a decision of punishment has been taken after being proven guilty.
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Usman once dreamed of playing in the UAE. He had to stay in the country for three years to acquire the eligibility to play there. He pursued that path. He played in the Abu Dhabi T10 and the IPL as a local player in the UAE. Last month, he played as a foreign player in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). His performance in that tournament truly changed reality. He scored two centuries in consecutive matches out of a total of four centuries in Multan Sultans’ 11 matches, becoming the second-highest run-scorer for the team. Before the final, in an interview with the cricket website ESPNCricinfo, he did not express any strong interest in playing for Pakistan. However, he immediately joined the team’s preparation camp.
After being called to the camp, Usman told ESPNCricinfo that he did not breach any contract. He also mentioned that there is a 30-day notice period in the contract. As a result of this ban, the door to play in the UAE has been closed for him.
On the home ground, Usman can be called up to the Pakistan team for the upcoming five-match T20 series against New Zealand. He expressed his desire to play for Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup in June. So far, he has scored 1207 runs in 36 matches in accepted T20s with an average of 38.93 and a strike rate of 146.12. He has four centuries, three in the PSL and one in the BPL.”
