Locked out: Fawad concedes Big Bash career is all but over

It's a measure of the times we live in that when Fawad Ahmed brought up a century this week, it wasn't a milestone he wanted to celebrate.

Sitting alone in a Brisbane hotel room, the 39-year-old quietly registered his 100th day in mandatory quarantine since the emergence of this wretched virus, which tragically claimed the life of his mother 12 months ago and left him struggling to breathe for a terrifying few weeks earlier this year.

On Monday, Fawad will be released from his ninth stint of self-isolation since this pandemic began and return to his home in Melbourne's south-western suburbs for the first time in four months.

He had intended to stay in Australia until at least a few weeks into the new year. Instead, in all likelihood, he'll soon be abroad again having conceded his days in Australian domestic cricket are all but over.

He's willing to sign up for more quarantine, more flights and more time away from his family because, in the current environment, he is aware it's a privilege to simply be allowed out of the country to play the game he loves.

But he also knows where he'd rather be.

"I don't have a (Big Bash) contract, so I'm on the road now," he says ruefully.

"I'll earn more money overseas; in those few months, I might even be able to play four tournaments, so it'll definitely be more money and more opportunity.

"But honestly, I want to play in Australia. This is my home.

"This is my 12th year here in Australia, and summer, Christmas time, Big Bash, the stadiums ... just even thinking about it makes me feel happy.

"It's the best time of the year ... and I'm going to miss it."

Image Id: 53D852DEB06B458DA989F9AD111522DB Image Caption: Fawad Ahmed concedes he's unlikely to play in the Big Bash again // Getty

A sense of abandonment was already hanging over Fawad when the Perth Scorchers confirmed in July that his time at the club was over.

After winning a prolonged battle with COVID-19 in March, having contracted the virus during the ill-fated first stage of the Pakistan Super League, he had ventured abroad again in May for the tournament's resumption in the UAE before a planned stint in the Lanka Premier League in August.

But when the LPL was postponed in early July, Fawad found himself in the same unthinkable position that tens of thousands of Australians have faced in the past 18 months – stranded abroad and unable to get home.

With the federal government's cap on international arrivals seemingly shrinking by the day, he spent six weeks with family in Pakistan, trying in vain to secure a flight back to Australia.

He was also away from his wife and young daughter, who were and remain with his in-laws in Sweden, free from Melbourne's lockdowns but also not together as a family.

Image Id: 13DF728552B84098B6AAF81BC80AA18D Image Caption: The veteran was Perth's frontline spinner in BBL|10 // Getty

It was during this time that the Scorchers announced publicly that they had signed young spin star Peter Hatzoglou, Fawad's former teammate at Melbourne University Cricket Club, and that the veteran was surplus to requirements.

Coming when it did, the final confirmation of the news was a devastating blow.

He concedes he had some poor games in BBL|10 - he took 15 wickets at an economy rate of 7.71 - and pinpoints three matches in particular where he went the distance.

But he fully expected to be given a new deal having been Perth's frontline spinner – Ashton Agar missed the tournament due to injury – in their run to the grand final.

For a club that had backed Brad Hogg, Michael Klinger and Adam Voges (now the team's coach) well into their late 30s and beyond, he was left to face the reality that the Scorchers simply considered Hatzoglou to be a better option to support Agar and the club's strong list of fast bowlers.

Image Id: 4E148F0F3EEB42E6821A34F2E16444FC Image Caption: The 39-year-old wanted to remain at the Scorchers // Getty

And with the seven other clubs already well down the path of finalising their rosters for BBL|11, Fawad immediately feared his career as an Australian domestic cricketer was over.

"I was really, really upset with the way it ended," he tells cricket.com.au. "I was still expecting another year.

"If you take those three (bad) games out of the 17, I think my performance (in BBL|10) was amazing. Especially in the back at the end of the tournament, I bowled really well in the finals and the grand final (where he took 1-16 from three overs).

"And then getting delisted like that – I was pretty upset.

"I still can't figure out what went wrong. I think I've been a really good teammate, I tried my best ... to contribute both on and off the field.

Image Id: 4C9818D981D94A1F96EA983880F8D64B Image Caption: The leg-spinner took 15 wickets in 17 games last season // Getty

"I didn't want to end my career in Australia like that. I might not be able to play again, maybe never, in Australian domestic cricket and it's pretty upsetting because I still feel I have lots of fuel left."

Unless a last-minute BBL deal materialises in the coming months, Fawad will instead spend the summer playing in T20 leagues abroad, where he continues to attract significant interest as an international.

For an experienced player who recently celebrated the 10th domestic title of his career – he played alongside the likes of Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle at the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots as they won the Caribbean Premier League – it seems incomprehensible that of the 120 Australian players (plus a handful of local replacements) who will hold a BBL contract this season, Fawad won't be one of them.

The leg-spinner is not the only Australian who has been forced to look elsewhere. Fellow veterans Callum Ferguson and James Faulkner, who also played in the PSL this year, have not secured Big Bash deals either and they too may take their talents off-shore.

Image Id: 9903B55BF69441629C2DAAEF044E025D Image Caption: Fawad remains in demand in T20 leagues around the world // Getty

The reasons for the drain of experienced T20 players out of their home competition are many and complex. Salary cap pressures, multi-year deals for young local players and a lengthy contracting embargo period all stifled significant list changes this season, while the fact BBL clubs are extensions of their state associations – unlike most franchise leagues around the globe, where teams are run independently – means a club roster often mirrors that of the state team, putting T20 specialists like Fawad, Faulkner and Ferguson at a disadvantage.

"I don't know why it's happening here in Australia," Fawad says, who acknowledges the fact all eight clubs already have at least one leg-spinner on their list also worked against him getting a new deal.

"The ball is coming out nicely, I'm taking wickets, I'm performing well, there's no physical fitness problems.

"I still feel that I can play for at least two or three years."

Having belatedly managed to secure a six-leg, two-day flight to Australia that he estimates to have cost more than $30,000, Fawad will spend the next few months in his home city and hopes to soon be joined by his wife and young daughter before he jets off again.

Image Id: B702C0316E8B46D4830EBFC7FCAB11E8 Image Caption: Fawad (left) celebrates his recent CPL win // Getty

As ever, he's buoyed by his current form. He finished the CPL with 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.52, including two wickets in each of the semi-final and final, and is eyeing off the UAE's T10 League in late November, the LPL in December, a new 20-over competition in the UAE in January and then a return to the PSL a month later.

And if his form continues during his summer sojourn abroad, does he think he'll be given one last chance to play professionally in his adopted home country?

"It does look really hard, when you miss a year at this age ... the chances are very narrow," he says.

"But it might happen. You never know."

If it does, it would be a milestone worth celebrating.