Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan has reflected on a difficult period in his career when he faced public doubt about his future with the national team, saying that he never blamed Pakistan for his struggles and instead looked inward to find his way back.

Speaking in a recent interview, Khan recalled the pressure he faced after being dropped from the side.

“When I had played 19 matches for Pakistan and was dropped from the team, many people in Pakistan started asking me if I would ever make a comeback. They said that I had already been given enough chances and should consider going to the UAE,” he said.

He pushed back against that narrative. “I always told people that Pakistan had given me a fair opportunity. The fault was within me, not with Pakistan. I never blamed the country or said that I was treated unfairly in my cricket career. Instead, I looked within myself.”

Khan also pointed to his PSL form as a turning point in his mindset.

“Even in the last PSL season, I didn’t perform well. I only had two fifties. That’s when I decided to work really hard and make a comeback to the Pakistan team. I doubled my efforts in wicketkeeping, improved my fitness, followed a proper diet, hired a good trainer, and started playing in all the local tournaments in Pakistan,” he said.

The UAE option had been a real one at an earlier stage. Khan relocated to Ajman in 2020 and began playing domestic cricket there, working towards meeting ICC residency qualifications for the UAE national team.

However, after earning a call-up to Pakistan, he abandoned that pursuit. The Emirates Cricket Board responded in April 2024 by banning him from UAE domestic cricket for five years.

The ban came alongside his Pakistan debut. Khan made his T20I debut against New Zealand in April 2024 and went on to be included in Pakistan’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He made his ODI debut against New Zealand in March 2025 in Napier, scoring 39 off 33 balls before being ruled out of the second match with a hamstring injury.

In PSL 11, Khan represents Hyderabad Kingsmen, the newly formed franchise making its debut in the expanded eight-team tournament. He has been in strong form for the side, including a blistering 79 off 34 balls against Multan Sultans, and has scored his fourth century this PSL.