Pakistani asylum-seeker Fawad Ahmed may play for Australia in Ashes

Leg-spinner was handed a permanent visa to remain in Australia in November.

Australia’s chief selector John Inverarity says Pakistani asylum-seeker Fawad Ahmed will be in contention for a place in the Ashes squad to tour England if he is granted citizenship in time.

The 31-year-old leg-spinner was handed a permanent visa to remain in Australia in November after leaving his home in the border region near Afghanistan,where he said he was targeted by Muslim extremists.

But to play for Australia in the Ashes from July he needs fast-tracked citizenship and an Australian passport.

Story continues below this ad

Otherwise,under International Cricket Council (ICC) rules,he will not become available until August 18,before the fifth Test at the Oval.

“Fawad Ahmed is a mature and very good leg-spinner,” Inverarity told the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’.

“I’ve seen quite a bit of him and all those who have played against him,and the coaching staff,rate him as a good bowler.

“He would certainly come under consideration. It will all be considered on merit. He will be treated no differently from anybody else.”

Story continues below this ad

Inverarity admitted the significance of a former asylum-seeker from Pakistan playing for Australia could not be understated.

“If it were all to happen,it would be a wonderful thing for our Australian society,someone who through the medium of cricket has become a central figure in our community,” he said.

Since his arrival,Ahmed has established himself with the Melbourne Renegades in the T20 Big Bash League and made an appearance for the Prime Minister’s XI against the West Indies in January.

He is seen as a handy back-up to Nathan Lyon,with few other stand-out spinning candidates beyond Xavier Doherty and Glenn Maxwell.

H-1B visa fee hike, US H-1B visa policy, $100000 H-1B visa fee, India response to H-1B fee, humanitarian impact H-1B visa, Indian government on H-1B, Randhir Jaiswal H-1B statement, Indian IT companies H-1B visas, Infosys H-1B approvals, TCS H-1B visa employees, Wipro H-1B visa applications, HCL H-1B workforce, US visa restrictions 2025, H-1B visa deadline September 21, Microsoft H-1B travel advisory, Amazon H-1B visa holders, JP Morgan H-1B guidance, H-1B visa program abuse, Indian skilled workers in US, USCIS H-1B data 2023

‘I don’t know what awaits me in the US’: The lives upended by Trump’s H-1B proclamation

India4 hr ago

The recent imposition of a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas by Trump has caused chaos and uncertainty for Indian families in Dubai, leading many to rush back to the US. This has particularly affected Telugu-speaking Indians, with the Telangana IT Minister seeking intervention from the Centre.

View all shorts

Live Blog