Usama Mir pens 3-year T20 contract with Worcestershire and will play the first year as an overseas cricketer.
Usama Mir signs three-year T20 deal with Worcestershire.
Usama Mir, a legspinner for Pakistan, has agreed to a three-year T20 contract with Worcestershire beginning in 2026, which will put a long break in his international career. Mir will be regarded as an abroad player for the first year of that contract, but starting in 2027, he will be regarded as a local.
Since his spouse is a British citizen, 29-year-old Mir is qualified to become a naturalised citizen of the United Kingdom. However, he has not formally declared his retirement from Pakistani cricket. Despite being left off of the central contracts list last year, he was one among the players who, following lengthy discussions in 2023, signed three-year contracts with the PCB.
Mir, who last played international cricket in April 2024, has fallen down the rankings as a result of this trend. When Worcestershire Rapids signed him last year and the PCB refused the NOC, he was forced to skip the T20 Blast, further damaging his relationship with the board.
The PCB brought up the so-called “PSL plus two” rule, which forbade players from participating in more than two overseas T20 competitions in a 12-month span. Since then, Mir has participated in T20 leagues both domestically and overseas, including the Global Super League, the BBL, the PSL, and last year’s Hundred.
For the time being, Mir plans to keep playing domestic cricket in Pakistan. He can continue to play domestic cricket in Pakistan for the next two seasons, but starting in 2027, he will have to register as an overseas player because he is a local player in the UK.
Mir has displayed glimpses of his brilliance in the T20 leagues, despite his lack of consistency in his 12 ODIs and five T20Is. He was one of the all-around standouts for the Rapids in the 2023 Blast and the top wicket-taker in the PSL 2024. Apart from Adam Zampa, he was the most valuable legspinner in the BBL league based on his bowling statistics from the previous season.
Worcestershire CEO Ashley Giles told the club website they were “thrilled” with the deal.”He’s a high-calibre cricketer with the skills and temperament to make a real impact at this level,” he said. “His ability to transition into a homegrown player from 2027 gives us great flexibility in squad planning and shows our commitment to building a competitive team for the long term.”