Australia's Immigration Department thought that Pakistani leg spinner Fawad Ahmed's asylum request was a "borderline" case for granting permanent visa and then Australian citizenship.
Ahmed's claim for asylum was initially rejected by both the Immigration Department and Refugee Review Tribunal.
The Pakistan-born cricketer last year had his application for Australian citizenship approved, ending four years of stress and uncertainty.
Ahmed originally came to Australia as an asylum seeker and finally became a citizen after changes to federal legislation fast-tracked his application, The AAP reports.
Ahmed generated plenty of excitement in local cricket circles with his spin-bowling ability, and Cricket Australia lobbyists reportedly pushed for him to get a passport in time for the 2013 Ashes series in England.
However, government briefing documents and others obtained under Freedom Of Information are said to show the Immigration Department considered his case was "borderline" from the beginning News.com.au reports.