Ex-Pakistan spinner of 2000s Arshad Khan's taxi driving story in Australia stuns fans

Cricket has changed the lives of a number of cricketers by giving them name, fame and money in abundance. While very few players are able to stay at the top by performing consistently at the biggest level year after year, a majority of them vanish after showing initial promise due to different reasons. One such cricketer is Arshad Khan from Pakistan.

Former Pakistan cricketer Arshad Khan turned to taxi driving after falling out of favour 

One such cricketer is former Pakistan spinner Arshad Khan who represented his country from 1998-2006. Arshad Khan had a bright start to his career as he bamboozled the batsmen with his spin. However, the off-spinner failed to live up to expectations and fell out of favour after he decided to join the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL). Subsequently, Arshad Khan was forced to become a taxi driver.

According to a News18 report, a few years ago, a cricket fan from Sydney booked a taxi and to his surprise, the driver turned out to be Arshad Khan from Pakistan. The fan took to social media to share the story of the Pakistan veteran. The fan revealed that Arshad Khan was the driver of their cab and when they started chatting, he told him that he is from Pakistan and lives in Sydney.

The fan added that Arshad told him that he has been to Hyderabad many times when he was playing for Lahore Badshahs in the ICL. The fan further said that he asked him his full name and that's when he was shocked to see Arshad Khan's face which he could partially recognize following which he shook his hand and left. It is worth mentioning that Arshad Khan has grabbed wickets of great Indian batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag in the same game in the early 2000s. Moreover, Arshad Khan made waves during Pakistan's tour of India in 2005 where he bagged 7 wickets in 5 games which included scalps of MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh Mohammad Kaif, and Harbhajan Singh among others.

According to reports, Arshad Khan left the taxi driver's job in Sydney, Australia last year. In November 2020, he was appointed as bowling coach of the Pakistan women's national cricket team. Similarly, in March, reports of Sri Lankan spinner Suraj Randiv turning into a bus driver had emerged on the internet. As per the reports, Suraj Randiv, who was once a regular feature in the Sri Lankan team, is currently living in Melbourne, Australia where he drives a bus to make ends meet. 

SOURCE: PAKISTAN CRICKETER TWITTER