DALLAS: Ali Khan, who played tennis ball cricket in the streets of Fateh Jang in Attock district of Punjab, Pakistan never imagined that one day he would be playing for the United States, dismissing the most important batsman in Pakistan’s middle order. During his match against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2024, Ali Khan did just that by picking up the wicket of Fakhar Zaman and demonstrated his impeccable skills.
At a very young age, while playing cricket in Fateh Jang, his brother advised him to play with the senior boys’ because ‘I could bowl fast.’ When Ali shifted to the US with his family in 2010, his uncle took him to a local cricket club where no batsman could face him.
Talking to media, Ali Khan said, ” My dream of cricket was shattered when I arrived in the USA, because I had no idea about cricket in America.”
Ali started playing cricket at the local level, but his enthusiasm to play cricket with the ‘senior players’ forced him to contact Qureshi, the organizer of the US Open cricket tournament through Facebook. He asked Qureshi that he wanted to take part in the tournament. The event provided him a chance to prove his skills and he became a cricket star in various states after the tournament. However, in the meantime, USA Cricket announced that they were holding a camp to select USA cricket team. Prominent West Indies cricketer Courtney Walsh was also among the selectors.
Ali Khan said that the trials were very tough because the selectors would have to select only 15 out of 100 boys. However, Ali Khan was selected to represent USA in the cricket. Next year, Ali Khan was selected by CPL team Amazon Warriors and he managed to dismiss former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara on the first ball of his first match. Ali Khan said that he realized that he could pursue cricket as a career after dismissing Kumar Sangakkara but he played just one match in the entire season.
However, it was Dwayne Bravo to recognize the extra ordinary Ali Khan and selected him for his team Trinbago Knight Riders during the US Open. Other cricket leagues also offered Ali Khan after he demonstrated his bowling skills in the US Open. On one hand, Ali Khan was getting the opportunity to play in the leagues and on the other hand, the selectors eventually selected him for USA world cup squad.
He said that many factors including sustainable efforts and luck played key role in his entire journey. He said that he gave priority to cricket but did not imagine to play professional cricket. He said that Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Youns were his favorite bowlers.
He said that ‘cricket has not yet reached at the level of basketball, American football and baseball in the US. However, he said that the US’s win against Pakistan will be a historical milestone for the promotion of cricket in America.
