Usman Qadir © Getty Images
Usman Qadir, 19, is the son of the legendary Abdul Qadir. He is a highly-rated leg-spinner and more than useful middle-order batsman who has represented Pakistan at Under-15 and Under-19 levels.
Usman was also a member of the Under-19 World Cup squad that lost to India earlier this year in a quarter-final encounter in Townsville, Australia. He was also a member of the Pakistan Under-19 squad that enjoyed a very successful tour of South Africa.
Usman is currently playing club cricket in Australia as well as representing South Australia Under-23s. He hasn't played much domestic cricket in Pakistan as yet, but the coming season could be the kick-start of a great career.
Saj Sadiq of PakPassion.net caught up with Usman for an exclusive interview:
Excerpts:
PakPassion.net (PPN): Did you always aspire to be a cricketer or was it something that you ended up doing because you felt you had to follow in your father’s footsteps?
Usman Qadir (UQ): Cricket was everywhere in my life: the television, around the house… Every spare minute of my life was spent playing cricket. There was no escaping it. From an early age I wanted to be a professional cricketer.
PPN: Did you not want to do something different in cricket given that your father was a legendary leg-spinner?
UQ: At first I had no clue what leg-spin bowling was. My earliest memory of playing cricket was around the age of five, playing cricket at home with my father and my brother. I just watched lots of videos of my father bowling and wanted to copy what he was doing. Around the age of 11 or 12, I gradually started playing more cricket and practicing at home, my father guided me with various grips and helped me with the art of leg-spin bowling. My father is very passionate when it comes to cricket and leg-spin bowling and when I saw the passion in the way he was teaching me, I had no hesitation in wanting to be a leg-spinner.
PPN: It must have been pretty hectic in the Qadir household when you were growing up?
UQ: Indeed. There were cricket bats, cricket balls, pads, gloves and other equipment all over the house. I’ve always been very close to my father and brother (Sulaman); they have been great role models and always guided me throughout my career.
PPN: Is it true that your father had erected cricket nets in your house, to help you and Sulaman practice?
UQ: Yes, that’s true. Before my father’s cricket academy was set up in Lahore, we had nets in our house to help us practice at home. My father set up the nets on the roof of our house and every spare minute was spent on the roof practicing, batting, bowling and talking about cricket.
PPN: What’s the best cricketing piece you have received from your father?
UQ: My father has always advised me: Don’t worry too much about technique; if you are unorthodox, so be it; if you’re methods are not part of the coaching manual, so be it; what matters is your performance.
PPN: Some leggies make the art look simple, but how difficult is it to actually bowl leg- spin?
UQ: It’s very difficult, particularly if you do not practice enough. There was a time when I couldn’t practice for a couple of weeks and I was really struggling with my bowling in the next match that I played. The ball just wasn’t coming out of my hand quite right, my line was wrong and I kept on bowling full tosses. It’s a skill that not many can master. It’s a skill where you are trying to out-think the batsman and that can be very difficult at times. Leg-spin is not for the faint-hearted.
PPN: Do you think that being the son of a famous cricketer and playing the same sport at a professional level as your father brings added pressure on you to perform?
UQ: Not at all. I’ve never felt pressure just because my father played many times for Pakistan and is well known throughout the world. Sometimes the public compare you with your father, particularly when you’ve not had a good day, but that should not bother you. You have good and bad days in sport.
PPN: Your dad would have taught you all the tricks with regard to leg-spin. Have you perfected all deliveries that are part of a leg-spinner’s armoury?
UQ: I don’t think you can ever say that you have perfected the different deliveries. It’s always work in progress. With each game I am learning, facing differing challenges against different batsmen. The introduction of Twenty20 cricket has presented a new challenge for leg-spinners. Nowadays, a leg-spinner has to have greater variety than in the past.
PPN: You’ve made great strides with your batting of late. Do you see yourself as someone who can eventually be regarded a genuine all-rounder?
UQ: Definitely. I really enjoy my batting. I know there are some spin bowlers out there who see their batting as an afterthought but I take my batting very seriously and I have started to give my batting and bowling equal time and importance in practice sessions. In modern cricket one has to handle all three facets of the game. If you are weak in any area, the opposition picks up on that. In the past, teams could hide couple of fielders. But modern game demands that one should be able to contribute in all areas of the game. That’s why I am trying my best to be able to contribute with bat, ball and in the field. Even selectors nowadays look at what a bowler can contribute with the bat and in the field and that can sway a selector’s mind when picking a squad.
PPN: When the Pakistan A squad was selected for the tour of Australia in 2009, you were selected, but you did not make that tour. Why?
UQ: My father was the chief selector at the time. I was picked in the squad for Australia and Ijaz Butt, who was the chairman, had suggested that I should be in the starting eleven on that tour, whenever possible. My father was unhappy with what Ijaz Butt had suggested as he wanted the starting eleven to be picked on merit and not for me to be picked just because I was his son. In protest, he removed my name from the Pakistan A squad. Discussions were held afterwards, the details of which I am unaware of, but in the end I didn’t tour Australia with the Pakistan A squad.
PPN: You missed the recent Under-19 World Cup semi-final against India in Australia. It must have been disappointing to miss such an important match, right?
UQ: Yes, that was a huge disappointment. I had played the previous three matches and was then dropped. It was a decision that the team management and captain made and I respect that decision, but it was disappointing. Who knows, perhaps the outcome may have been different had I played.
PPN: You’ve played a lot of Under-15 and Under-19 cricket for Pakistan. Don’t you think the junior-level cricket is good for your grounding and helpful for your future?
UQ: Absolutely. You are getting the opportunity to play against the best cricketers in the world in your age group, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the cricket I have played at junior levels for Pakistan. It makes you realise at a young age what it means to play for your country and it makes you yearn for more of the same at the senior level. You are also presented with an opportunity to play in differing conditions around the world, and that can definitely help your development. Also if you do well on a tour then that really boosts your confidence as a cricketer.
PPN: Any particularly memorable matches at Under-19 level?
UQ: There was one match in particular, a quarter-final against India in New Zealand in 2010. That was a great match for me. Then there was the match against South Africa in South Africa in January this year. I was taking the team to victory when I was run out for 51.
PPN: You've only played a handful of domestic matches in Pakistan, particularly when some of your Under-19 team mates are now regulars in their respective teams?
UQ: My plan is to play a full season of First-Class cricket next year in Pakistan. This season I was given this fantastic opportunity to play club cricket in Australia and I didn’t want to let this chance go by. My aim is to have a good season in Australia and to make the most of this chance and then go back to Pakistan and put into practice what I’ve learnt in Australia. I'll be back in Pakistan after this stint in Australia to take part in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. I’ve also not played much in domestic cricket as in previous seasons I was touring with the Pakistan Under-19s.
PPN: How did the opportunity to play in Australia come about?
UQ: The chance to play in Australia came about due to a friend of my father, Rick Cook, who has kept in touch with my father ever since he played club cricket in Australia in 2000 for Cook’s team. Cook suggested to my father that it would be a good idea for me to get some experience of playing cricket in Australia. My father also thought it would be a good idea. And once he had discussed the possibility with me, then Cook went and spoke with South Australia’s cricket coach Darren Berry.
PPN: How’s your season going in Australia and what is the standard of cricket there?
UQ: The standard of cricket here in Australia is very high. The Australian Grade A cricket is like First-Class cricket in Pakistan. I’ve watched some of the First-Class cricket here in Australia and it’s extremely tough. The pitches are well prepared, the facilities are brilliant and the mindset of the Australian cricketers is very good. In addition the standard of umpiring is very good. All round it is tough, competitive and high class cricket.
PPN: What do you want to achieve from this season of club cricket and Under-23 cricket for South Australia?
UQ: When I came over to Australia I had set myself the goal of breaking my father’s record of 72 wickets in a season in A-grade cricket. So far I have taken 33 wickets in five matches and I have seven matches left. As well as the goal of taking more wickets than my father did, I also want to use this opportunity of playing cricket in Australia to improve my all-round game and to toughen up mentally and then go back to Pakistan with confidence and self belief with a good season behind me.
PPN: Recently I interviewed Dean Jones and he was very full of praise about your bowling. What are the coaches in Australia advising you on?
UQ: The coaches that I’ve worked with in Australia have been brilliant. They do not try and over-coach you; they let you learn from your own mistakes and offer guidance on areas where they feel you need some help. None of the coaches in Australia have tried to make major changes to my bowling or batting, rather it’s been little pieces of advice here and there which is great for me.
PPN: Has homesickness kicked in yet?
UQ: Oh yes! I’m missing home and my family, but one has to make these the sacrifices. Who knows, the time I’m spending in Australia may eventually help me towards international recognition one day.
PPN: Would you like to play for Australia or Pakistan?
UQ: I’ve been offered to play for Australia. A few people over the last couple of months have spoken with me about it, but I’ve not made a decision as yet. I want to discuss all of the options with my father and then make a final decision. I want to play for Pakistan; my heart is set on it. I’ve said to the guys in Australia to speak with my father about the matter. I’ve left the matter with my father. I’ve left the final decision in my father's hands. I’m happy to go with what my father advises me. I feel my father would want me to play for Pakistan.
PPN: Over the years, Pakistan has produced some great leg-spinners, but of late leg-spin seems to be a type of bowling that is rarely seen in Pakistan these days. Can Usman Qadir be the next great leg-spinner for Pakistan one day?
UQ: God willing. I feel that I’m improving as a cricketer and developing my skills. This stint in Australia is very useful for me and is another step forward. The next step is to go back to Pakistan and start performing well in domestic cricket. If I can perform well in domestic cricket then who knows what may happen, but the dream is to play at the highest level for a long time.
PPN: Thanks for your time Usman and best wishes for the future!
UQ: My pleasure and thanks for the good wishes!
(Saj Sadiq is Senior Editor at PakPassion.net)
