Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan believes his learnings from senior players Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Sarfaraz Ahmed have helped shape his approach as he prepares for the T20 World Cup.
Usman said he has focused on batting deep and becoming a reliable finisher, drawing inspiration from Pakistan’s senior batters.
“I have played a lot of cricket under Rizwan bhai, Saifi bhai, and Babar bhai. They are known to build their innings and then make it hard for bowlers to get them out,” Usman said.
“I have tried to emulate that concept at all levels. I want to finish matches and go back to the dressing room after winning the game.”
Usman Khan, who switched commitment from the UAE to Pakistan, said strong preparation under head coach Mike Hesson has given Pakistan a good chance of lifting the trophy.
The 30-year-old will join the Pakistan squad in Sri Lanka for a three-match T20I series against the hosts in Dambulla starting January 7.
Pakistan have played 34 T20Is in 2025 so far, the most among teams competing in the upcoming World Cup. Usman featured in nine of those matches, including all games of the home tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in November, where he scored a couple of scores in the 30s.
Pakistan’s World Cup campaign will be entirely in Sri Lanka, with Group A matches in Colombo and Super Eights fixtures in Colombo and Kandy.
Usman further said his experience in the BPL has helped him adapt to different conditions. A regular in the BPL, Usman previously represented Chattogram Challengers and Chittagong Kings.
In the 2024–25 season, he scored 285 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 167.64 for the Kings. In 2023, he scored 296 runs in 11 innings for the Challengers, including a century.
Before the BPL, Usman scored an unbeaten 159 in the President’s Cup List A tournament in Pakistan and registered two half-centuries in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in November.
Usman made headlines in 2023 when he gave up the opportunity to continue with the UAE, where he had a central contract, to pursue his dream of playing for Pakistan. Despite being banned by the Emirates Cricket Board, he said he has no regrets.
