In 2019, Mohammad Mohsin’s team defeated India in the semi-final of the Emerging Teams Asia Cup. The leg-spinner finished the tournament with the best economy rate, conceding just 2.65 runs per over.
On Saturday, 7 February, six years since the Asia Cup triumph, Mohammad Mohsin will be facing India again. Only this time, in different colours.
The days of donning Pakistan’s green are behind him. A leg-spinner from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mohsin spent his formative years in domestic cricket alongside the likes of Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman, both of whom will represent Pakistan at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He also earned a Pakistan Super League contract with Peshawar Zalmi, sharing a dressing room with players such as Wahab Riaz and Liam Livingstone. On Saturday, however, he will be wearing the blue of the United States of America.
An injury curtailed his dreams of representing Pakistan in international cricket, but in USA, he has found a new home. Though yet to make his national team debut, Mohsin has been impressive for Texas Super Kings in the Major League Cricket, scalping 17 wickets in as many matches.
As the T20 World Cup approaches, Mohsin is keen to help his team replicate the heroics of two years ago by beating Pakistan again — this time, by a bigger margin.
The Quint had a candid and exclusive conversation with the leg-spinner ahead of USA’s tournament opener against India at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Here are the excerpts:
Five years ago, you were playing in the Pakistan Super League. Now, you are at the T20 World Cup with the USA team. How did it happen?
I was doing well in Pakistan. I was a part of the Pakistan Emerging Team, I had a PSL contract with Peshawar Zalmi — things were going really well. But unfortunately, I sustained an injury and had to stay out of the game for a prolonged period. The thing in Pakistan is, if you are out of the system, it is very difficult to get back in. So, I went to the USA in 2022. I competed at a tournament called the Houston Open, where I did well and helped my team win the title. Minor League teams started approaching me, and through them, the Major League teams started calling. I didn't envisage playing for the USA national team, really, but here I am.
How did your cricketing journey commence? Did you idolise any cricketer growing up?
Growing up in Pakistan, I was absolutely crazy about cricket. Such was my level of fanaticism that before a World Cup, I would memorise the entire schedule and watch every single match. I started my journey with tape-ball cricket, and transitioned to the hard ball in 2011. This was also the time Yuvraj Singh was doing wonders for India, so I started idolising him. Then I found out about his battle with cancer, and my respect for him grew manifolds.
Did you get the chance to meet Yuvraj Singh?
Indeed, I have had the fortune of meeting him. This was in 2023, at Washington. I told him that I am among the millions of cricketers he has inspired, and he wished me best of luck in my journey. I also showed him video clippings of my game, and he was kind enough to share his feedback.
Besides being a cricketer, you also have a degree in computer science. How did you master the balancing act?
It was my decision to balance both. Everyone in my family is highly educated — my father is an electrical engineer. I thought that if I don't study and end up not making it in cricket, I would land myself in a really awkward situation. Truth be told, it was not easy because my matches for the U-19 Pakistan team would coincide with my university classes. But fortunately enough, my parents and my teachers have always been supportive. They encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming a cricketer.
Tell us about your cricketing journey in Pakistan.
I had a topsy-turvy journey in Pakistan. After my debut in 2015, I struggled to make in-roads for the next two years, despite playing well. It happened that guest players would come over to represent our region, so I had to unfortunately make way. But I kept on grinding hard and eventually found my spot back in 2018. I was teammates with some of the biggest names in Pakistani cricket currently — Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi. There was pressure, but it helped me hone my skills.
When you look back on your decision of leaving Pakistan, what feelings do you have? That of regret, or fulfillment?
It was a difficult decision, to be very honest with you. Because everyone wants to represent the country they grew up in, and I was the same. My dream was to represent Pakistan. But such is the level of competition there that if anyone with a similar skillset makes it to international cricket, your chances are almost as good as over, regardless of how good you are. It so happened that when I was playing, Shadab Khan was also doing really well. He is still with the team, and he has always been talented, so he got into the national side and I had to take the call of ditching my Pakistan dreams for USA. Now that I reflect upon that decision, I feel very happy. Because had I been in Pakistan, I would have only been playing domestic cricket, but here with USA, I'm playing at the T20 World Cup. There's a sense of unity and belonging in the USA team, and I am really proud to represent them.
The previous T20 World Cup was a watershed moment for the USA cricket team. How has the ecosystem changed since that victory against Pakistan?
When USA defeated Pakistan, it inspired an entire generation to pick up the sport. Besides being a cricketer, I also do some coaching in the States. I can tell you that the amount of enrollments I saw after that Pakistan win was unheard of in USA cricket. When Afghanistan were on the rise, they got the chance of playing the full-member nations, and they could show what they are capable of. I believe that if we are given the opportunity to play against Test-playing nations throughout the year, we will cause quite a few upsets. I'm confident that we will reach Super 8 again, and this time, we want to beat a big team in the Super 8 as well. The Pakistan match, in particular, will be interesting, because having played with the likes of Fakhar and Farhan, I know their weaknesses.
In the current Pakistani squad, which players do you know inside out?
I am friends with more than half of the current Pakistan squad. Sahibzada Farhan and I made our First-Class debuts in the same match. The likes of Fakhar, Usman Tariq and Shaheen are also good friends. So, it will be really interesting to play against them. As for the Indian team, I haven't bowled to anyone because none of the players who played for the Indian Emerging Team I bowled to is currently a part of the team. But we have all seen the brand of cricket they have been playing. It will be exciting to bowl to them.
USA are placed in a difficult group yet again, clubbed with India and Pakistan. Do you believe you could take down any of the two teams?
If we beat India, it will be a life-changing event for our players. It will mark a major shift in USA cricket. We arrived in Sri Lanka on 8th January for the World Cup, and over the last one month, most of our planning has been focused on beating India. As for Pakistan, I think the pressure will be on them, not on us, because we don't have anything to lose. We have defeated Pakistan already, and in such a cricket-crazy nation, losing to an associate nation is a cardinal sin. They will be under pressure, and we can make them crack under pressure again. Because if you look at their team, I feel it is almost similar to the one that played at the 2024 T20 World Cup, whereas we have only improved since then. So, I feel we can beat them again, and this time, with a bigger margin.
The USA team is very diverse in nature, with players of all across the globe. What do you make of the squad composition?
Our strength lies in the diverse nature of the team. The squad is built in such a way that we are well-equipped for all conditions. Say, if we are playing on spin-friendly conditions, the players who have played in India and Pakistan will do well. If we are playing on bouncy conditions, we will trust our South Africa-born players to come good. The conditions, hence, do not really matter to us. That aside, our team bonding is also top notch.
Does the usually India-Pakistan sentiments still prevail in the USA dressing room? When playing against India, would you have additional motivation to shine?
Those thoughts might come to mind before the game, honestly speaking, but once I enter the pitch, all of my focus is on beating the batter I am bowling to. Because all those India-Pakistan things are jazbaat se judey, and there's no place for jazbaat in professional cricket. If I don't concentrate on the plans I've made for a specific batter and think about India-Pakistan, I will not bowl well.
Who will be your dream wicket from the Indian and the Pakistani team in this T20 World Cup?
Babar Azam is my dream wicket from the Pakistan team. He is a very good player of spin, and being a leg-spinner, it will be a good challenge to bowl to him and get him out. As for the Indian team, any wicket will be a good wicket, because of the way those guys have been batting. But if I had to name anyone in particular, I will mention their captain, Suryakumar Yadav. He is a 360° player, and it is a great feeling when you get a batter out who can challenge you in all aspects.
Among the batters you will be bowling do, whom do you rate the highest?
Abhishek Sharma is emerging as the T20 GOAT. The way he bats, the way he adapts to every situation, it is great. Regardless of the bowling, he has the same aggressive style of batting and he does it consistently, which is unique in T20 cricket. Because the more aggressive you are, the more risks you are taking so the chances of success are less. But Abhishek pulls it off every time, so it will be fair to call him the best batter in T20 cricket currently.
Lastly, what are your goals for the T20 World Cup?
As a team, is our goal is to beat as many big teams as we can. We want to take down one of India or Pakistan and make it to the Super 8, where we want to beat teams like South Africa or New Zealand. And then when we play against associate nations, we want to win in such a fashion that we can establish the fact that we are the best team among associate nations.
In terms of my personal goals, I just want to contribute to my team's victories. It does not necessarily have to be wickets. If I take a good catch that wins us a game, or if I bowl some dot balls which proves to be the turning point, I am happy. I just want to see us win.