Fawad Ahmed, the Pakistan-born legspinner who was granted asylum to live in Australia last year, has been named in the Prime Minister’s XI to take on West Indies in Canberra on January 29. Ahmed, who made his Big Bash League debut for the Melbourne Renegades on Wednesday, was initially denied asylum but that decision was overturned late last year.

He is part of what Australia’s national selector John Inverarity called a side that reflected the cultural diversity in Australia’s cricket pathways, with the fast bowler* Gurinder Sandhu, and the Pakistani-born Usman Khawaja also in the team. Ricky Ponting will captain the side with Brad Haddin as vice-captain.

“The PM’s XI game is a special fixture on the Australian cricketing calendar,” Inverarity said. “It provides a unique opportunity for many of our most talented and promising cricketers to showcase their skills. Captain Ricky Ponting and vice-captain Brad Haddin are two players who bring with them leadership and enormous experience on the international stage, and will be excellent drawcards.Read more
Courtesy :www.espncricinfo.com

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