Middle order batter Fawad Alam has drawn curtains on his 15-year-long Pakistan career to play in the Minore League Cricket T20 tournament. Fawad is slated to represent Chicago Kingsmen in the T20 tournament as a local player. His move to the USA will also open the doors for him to feature in the Major League Cricket tournament (MLC) going forward.
Fawad is not the first player from Pakistan to make the decision. Several players from the country including the likes of Sami Aslam, Hammad Azam, Mohammad Mohsin and Saif Badar among others have already shifted to the USA in search of more and better opportunities.
Fawad's international playing career for Pakistan started with the ODI format of the game. He played against Sri Lanka in May 2007 in Abu Dhabi and also made his T20I debut against Kenya in Nairobi on September 4, 2007.
His Test debut came two years later when Pakistan squared off against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval in Colombo in July.
With the presence of batting stalwarts like Mohammad Yousuf (initially), Azhar Ali, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq in Pakistan's middle order in Tests, opportunities were very few and far in between for Fawad.
He played 19 Tests for Pakistan and aggregated 1011 runs at an average of 38.88, including five centuries and two half-centuries. He got more opportunities in the white-ball formats with more games coming in ODI cricket.
In 38 ODIs for Pakistan, the Southpaw accumulated 966 runs at an average of 40.25 with the help of a century and six half-centuries. The 37-year-old also got a decent amount of opportunities in T20Is to ply his trade but could only manage to amass 194 runs at a strike rate of 114.79.
The continued outflow of players to the USA might turn out to be a serious headache for Pakistan going forward.
