Hurt by the snub on Champions Trophy non-selection, Kashmir boy Sufiyan Muqeem's fortunes can take a turn as he is under consideration for a last-minute call by the selectors for the Champions Trophy starting later this month.
If selected it would be an interesting inclusion as Sufiyan hails from Pulandri Baloch Bathek town in the Pakistan administered Kashmir and was in the headlines when he had a bust up with rising Indian T20I opener Abhishek Sharma during last year's Emerging Asia Cup in Oman.
Pakistan's selection for the February 19-March 9 Champions Trophy has come under severe flak with former captain rashid Latif terming it a "political selection" while legendary paceman Wasim Akram hit out by saying they cannot win the Trophy with this squad.
Pakistan naming only one frontline spinner in Abrar Ahmed also considered as a "serious mistake" as conditions in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates will suit the spinners. India have four quality spinners in Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel -- all allrounders -- and Kuldeep Yadav.
Sufiyan had shown good form on the tours of Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa and was hoping he would be picked for the Champions Trophy.
Sufiyan was here in the UAE for the ILT20 for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders but was not played in any match yet the disappointment on not being selected in the Pakistan squad was obvious. But after a few days he overcame that. Now we are hearing he has been asked to give a fitness test as he might get inclusion in the squad.
All teams have February 11 to make a change in their squad, after that they can only replace a player with the permission of tournament's technical committee on injury.
Sufiyan played initial cricket in his hometown with a tape ball. There were few opportunities of playing top-level cricket so he shifted base to Rawalpindi and got to play club cricket followed by first-calls.
He broke into Peshawar Zalmi franchise team in the Pakistan Super League from where he was selected to play for Pakistan in the Asian Games held in Gangzhou in 2023.
Sufiyan was selected for Pakistan and got a chance to play in the two T20Is against Australia at Sydney and Hobart. He took 2-21 in the first game and was given only one over costing nine in the second. Sufiyan came into his own in the T20I series in Zimbabwe, creturning figures of 3-20, 3-5 and 1-19.
His only ODI todate brought him four wickets for 52 runs against South Africa at Johannesburg in December last year. That performance warranted his selection.
Sufiyan's heated exchange with India A's Abhishek Sharma in the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 caught headlines. The incident took place during a tense match at Al Amerat, where Muqeem's sledging of Sharma sparked controversy on the field.
Sufiyan celebrated the wicket by making a "silence gesture" towards the Indian opener, triggering a verbal confrontation between the two players, on which umpires intervened. India A achieved a narrow 7-run victory, posting 183/8 in 20 overs and holding Pakistan A to 176/7.
His tussle with Abhishek was not new. He had dismissed the Indian star in the final of the same Emerging Asia Cup in Colombo in 2023, finishing with 3-66 in Pakistan's big 128-run win.
If selected, Sufiyan's inclusion in the high-voltage India game in Dubai on February 23 will be intriguing. Will there be another bust-up with an Indian player is remain to be seen.
