Cork student whose family were saved from deportation hopes to play cricket for Ireland

A fifth-year pupil at a Cork school who has received a last-minute reprieve from deportation has spoken of his dream of playing cricket for Ireland.

A fifth-year pupil at a Cork school who has received a

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Saudi Arabian born asylum seeker Zubair Khan (17) was due to attend an immigration appointment in Dublin today (Thursday) alongside his parents, three brothers and sister.

They feared immediate deportation having been refused international protection in this country.

Zubair was watching a match on Youtube last night when congratulatory messages popped up on his phone. News had emerged about Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan ordering a review of the case.

"Friends were congratulating me that I wasn't going anywhere. I was like 'what?' I was really happy. I ran to my mum and dad and they knew already.

"There was loads of comments on Twitter from Cricket Ireland and the coaches and the players from the Ireland International team. They were saying 'work hard' and they would like to see us in the future."

Zubair (17) told Cork's 96FM that arising out of the reprieve he can attend trials with Cricket Ireland next month.

"There is a two-day trial. A two-day skills set session. I am invited to that. My dream is to play for Ireland.

"Cricket is a serious passion for me. I want to achieve that. I will start working more hard in the gym because you need loads of fitness. I will be going into Leaving Cert. I will study hard and do cricket as well."

His younger brother Umair (16) said he was delighted at the possibility of completing his education.

"It is amazing. I want to complete my education and go to UCC and do a course in Medicine. Yesterday I was thinking I wouldn't be able to complete my education. I would like to give back to the country what they have given me."

The youngest Khan brother Mutjuba (14) says that he is delighted to be able to stay with his friends.

"I came out of the shower last night and my phone was full of messages from friends saying congratulations. I am so happy. I thought it was a dream. Then afterwards I realised it was real."

Aaron Wolfe, Principal of Coláiste Éamann Rís where the three youngest boys attend secondary school, was contacted by Tanaiste Simon Coveney last night. He informed him of the pending review of the case.

The Khan family arrived in Ireland in 2017. The eldest boy Hamza did his Leaving Cert before earning a Sanctuary scholarship at UCC where he is a first-year computer science student. Sister Shazadi, who is also in her twenties, is doing a training course in Mayfield in Cork city.

Hamza Khan

The family’s father Mubeen, fled to Saudi Arabia from Pakistan to escape persecution in 1982. His wife Hina Mubeen is also from Pakistan but their daughter and sons were born in Saudi Arabia.

The family continued to live happily in Saudi Arabia until their lives were changed by the death of King Abdullah in 2015. The new king, King Salman and his son Prince Muhammad Bin Salman introduced laws that favoured Saudi citizens.

Under these new laws, each family member had to pay 100 riyals each, with the tax set to increase by 100% each year after. To pay this the children had to drop out of school to get jobs.

Another law introduced in 2017, resulted in Mubeen losing his job in a drapers – unable to pay their taxes the family faced deportation to Pakistan which they had already fled from originally.

As a result, the family left Saudi Arabia, arriving in Ireland through England. As they first arrived to Europe through England, they were to be deported back to the United Kingdom, even though they have never lived there.

The campaign to keep the Khans in Ireland is supported by UCC, and the trust body of Coláiste Éamann Rís Cork City, the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, which represents 96 schools nationwide.