My father wanted to see me represent Pakistan, reveals Usman Qadir
Pakistan cricketer Usman Qadir has said that even in his last conversation with his father, Abdul Qadir, the former cricketer wished to see his son play for Pakistan. Usman declared last year that he will represent Australia in the International game but has been named in Pakistan’s T20I squad.
Pakistan cricketer Usman Qadir has been picked for Pakistan's T20I squad which will travel to Australia and the 26-year-old could talk about little else on the eve of Pakistan's departure than about how important it was to his father, former Pakistani cricketer, Abdul Qadir, that he plays for Pakistan, and how much it meant to him. Abdul Qadir died of a heart attack seven weeks ago and Usman revealed that even in his last conversation with his father, Abdul Qadir wished his son would don the Pakistan colours.
"He always said I should stay strong, and that in Pakistan, if you performed, things could change very quickly and you could find yourself selected," Usman said. "He taught me never to give up, and he always wanted to see me represent Pakistan. Even in my last conversation with him, he said he wished I would play for Pakistan,” Usman told ESPNCricinfo.
Usman had, years ago, become disillusioned with the nation his father represented and sought greener (or in his case, yellower pastures) when he declared his allegiance to Australia last year, resolving to represent that country in the international game instead.
Not long ago, the idea that he might be selected for Pakistan prompted a derisive snort from the head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq. In that sense, even by Pakistan cricket standards, his selection is an exceptionally quick u-turn, but, even in death, it proved Abdul Qadir prescient.
"It all changed when my father died. My main goal became to fulfil his desire. When I was going to Australia, the one thing he said was 'I wish you go on to get the Pakistan star on your chest.' Everyone wants to represent their own country, and I'm the same. Now that I'm going to Australia, I'm really missing him and if he was alive he'd be so proud."
Whispers of nepotism kept falling on Usman’s ears, and it was the desire to prove he was good enough that heavily motivated his initial move to Australia, telling ESPNcricinfo last year the real reason he gave up on playing for Pakistan would take "two or three hours" to address.
The beginning of Usman's disenchantment with Pakistan cricket can be dated back to 2013 when he was selected for the West Indies tour as a 19-year-old, only for the PCB to change its mind, a decision that he said led him to "go home and weep". It led to a lengthy absence in which he played no first-class cricket in Pakistan. During that period, opportunities from Australia continued to turn his head, with the then South Australia's director of cricket Jamie Cox saying Usman would need to commit more if he wanted to play for Australia.
While he repeatedly distinguishes himself from his father by talking about much work still lies ahead of him, it is clear that Usman is always hungry to improve his game. His eyes sparkle when he speaks about the finer points of his game and how conducive it is to various grounds in Australia, particularly the new one in Perth where he played the Big Bash League for the Perth Scorchers and also where Pakistan will play the third T20I next month.
"My father used to say to me you should learn the yorker. I tried my hardest to work on that ball, but without luck. But the last six or eight months, I've been working on my yorker and getting some control on that ball. I still don't bowl it in actual games, but I think I'm getting closer to mastering it.
"What happens is pitches in Australia are very quick. In Pakistan, the spinners get taken for lots of runs and they have no choice but to bowl in the same slot over and over again and hope for wickets. In Australia, they don't have as many spinners, so they're always on the lookout for any. When they confront a spinner, they find it harder. They practice spinners on the bowling machine, but facing a real spinner is difficult, and I'm hopeful I can cause some problems."