My ambition was to play for Australia, says Usman Qadir after shock Pakistan call-up
Usman Qadir - son of the legendary Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir - has said that his ambition was always to play for Australia after he received a shock call-up to Pakistan’s T20 side. Instead, Usman will fulfil his late father’s dream when he makes his international debut for Pakistan.
Having returned to his native country earlier this year, Usman found out from his overjoyed wife just last week that he’d earned an out-of-the-blue call-up for Pakistan’s T20 tour of Australia. Since then, reports have surfaced stating that Usman had done a ‘U-turn’ on the country that had given him the chances his native country never did.
"My ambition was to play for Australia before. I told my father I did not get any chances to play in Pakistan. I wanted to go to Australia and wanted to make a career over there. My father said, 'My wish is for (you) to play for Pakistan, for your own country. If you want to go there (to Australia), you can – it's your own decision. But my dream is for you to play for Pakistan’," Qadir told cricket.com.au.
The 26-year-old further explained that he had been in the process of applying for a permanent Australian visa having represented Western Australia and Perth Scorchers in all three formats last summer and impressing then state team coach Justin Langer during a trial. The wrist-spinner had even publicly stated his ambition to represent Australia at the 2020 T20 World Cup during a Prime Minister's XI versus South Africa match last year.
But with a long-term Australian visa elusive, Qadir returned home and played four games for Central Punjab in Pakistan's domestic T20 competition earlier this month, before new coach-selector Misbah-ul-Haq picked him for three-match T20 series in Australia.
"The PCB put my name in for the national T20 (domestic tournament). I played four games there, I did not take lots of wickets, but the selectors really liked me and said, 'We're going to pick you'. I said, 'Okay, that's fine.' That's not a U-turn. I played all the cricket but unfortunately, if I wanted to play T20 for Australia, I have to be a local there. Everyone told me that I had made a U-turn – I didn't make a U-turn. I didn't make any decision like this. I said before that I wanted to play for Australia but … it's a big opportunity to play for your own country," Qadir said.
As he heads back Down Under as part of a new-look Pakistan T20 squad to face Australia in matches in Sydney, Canberra and Perth next month, Qadir is hopeful of meeting the now-Australia coach Justin Langer once again.
"But he (Langer) is a very nice guy, very down to earth. Every time (I saw him) he is encouraging me, and he is giving me good advice. I learnt a lot from him. I'm a left-handed batsman as well so whenever I have had difficulties, I am watching Justin Langer because he was a great player," Qadir added.