Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed that Usman Khan is in contention for being selected in the national squad for their upcoming home T20I series against New Zealand. Usman was a part of the recently concluded 29-player fitness camp, which was conducted by trainers from the Pakistan Army. Last week, he was banned for five years by the Emirates Cricket Board. The 28-year-old was "found to have breached his obligations to the Emirates Cricket Board."
Ahead of Pakistan's five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Naqvi confirmed that Usman is eligible to play for the Men in Green.
"[Usman] Khan is eligible for Pakistan and he will play [for the national side]," Naqvi said while speaking to the media as quoted from Geo News.
UAE released a statement to announce the five-year ban on Usman and stated that the top-order batter "misrepresented his intentions to the board".
"Usman was found to have misrepresented to ECB about his decision to play for the UAE team and has used the opportunities and development provided by the ECB to him to seek out other prospects and it was evident that he was no longer wanting to play for ECB nor complete the eligibility criteria which he was under an obligation to do," ECB said in a statement.
PCB are engaged in the pursuit of a head coach for the men's national team since Grant Bradburn parted ways with Pakistan after the end of last year's World Cup.
Naqvi addressed the recent development regarding the appointment of head coach and said, "The availability of foreign coaches for the series against New Zealand depends on the contract with them."
According to recent reports, former New Zealand cricketer Luke Ronchi and former Australia head coach Justin Langer have been approached by the PCB.
The T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand will kick off on April 18 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and will conclude on April 27 at the Gaddafi Stadium, in Lahore.
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