Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Mohsin Naqvi has confirmed that Pakistan-born United Arab Emirates (UAE) batsman Usman Khan is now eligible for selection and will be a part of the Pakistan team.

Speaking to the media in Lahore on Sunday, Naqvi said, “Usman Khan has become eligible to play for Pakistan and he will play for the national team.

Let us tell you that Usman created a stir with his stormy batting in Pakistan Super League 2024. He had scored the most runs after Babar Azam. He scored 430 runs with his bat at an average of 107.50 in 7 innings, in which he scored two centuries and two half-centuries.

Usman has been banned for 5 years by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) after being selected for the training camp of the Pakistan cricket team. He will not be able to participate in any ECB tournament till 2029.

Pakistan has to play a series of five T20 International matches against New Zealand. Naqvi has confirmed that the Pakistan team for this series will be announced from April 9. Usman may get a chance in this series and he is also in the race for the T20 World Cup to be held in West Indies and America in June.

The first match of the Pakistan-New Zealand series will be held in Rawalpindi on 18 April, after which the next two matches will be held on this ground on 20 and 21 April. The fourth and fifth T20 matches will be played in Lahore on 25 and 27 April.