Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey
Usman Qadir, son of Pakistan’s legendary cricketer Abdul Qadir, has managed to make a name for himself despite carrying the huge expectations and legacy of his father. The spinner made his international debut for Pakistan in 2020 and has gone on to represent the Asian nation in 25 T20Is and one 50-over game. Usman has picked 32 wickets in 22 international matches so far.
The leggie recently grabbed headlines for his bold move to relocate to Australia with hopes of pursuing his cricketing career down under. He’s currently playing for the Hawkesbury Club in Sydney, and the talented bowler hopes to represent Australia in the international arena too. Usman has already displayed his exploits in T20 leagues such as the Big Bash League (BBL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL).
During an exclusive interview with Arvind Kalyana Krishnan for CricBlog, Usman Qadir drew light on the cricketing dreams he had while growing up. Further on, he also spoke about the upcoming Champions Trophy. The 31-year-old revealed the fact that the stadiums in Pakistan itself are not ready. He was hopeful of the pitches and stadiums getting ready before the commencement of the tournament.
The Champions Trophy 2025 is all set to take place in Pakistan. This ICC tournament starts on February 19 with the hosts scheduled to take on New Zealand in the opening game. However, having said that, it is to be noted that stadium renovations in Pakistan have put a huge question mark on their ability to host the tournament.
While speaking to Arvind Kalyana Krishnan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the Women’s Ashes Test match, Usman Qadir also came in support of Babar Azam. He backed the Pakistani batter despite his poor form in the recent past. He urged Babar Azam’s critics to think twice before criticising the batting maestro. Moreover, he stated that the people who criticize Pakistan’s star batter while sitting in front of the television shouldn’t forget Azam’s achievements.
Usman Qadir interview: Pakistan need to ensure they get the stadiums ready for the Champions Trophy
Below is the entire conversation between Arvind Kalyana Krishnan and Usman Qadir:
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: Right now, with the Champions Trophy that’s going to take place…..Based on the pitch conditions and current form, what do you think? Are there any favourites?
Usman Qadir: I think that they need to make the stadium first. Let them make that first…..We will then have to see if they will be able to make the pitch or not. But yeah, once they make the stadium, then they should be able to make the pitch. I think that the wicket would support the spinners more in Pakistan….All the spin-friendly wickets as well.
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: As for Babar Azam, no doubt people consider him to be one of the best players. However, his form of late hasn’t been great. So what is your opinion on his current form? Do you have any opinions?
Usman Qadir: Well, I have a lot of opinions of my own, but all I want to say is that if a player is playing well, then y’all shouldn’t go behind him. You just have one player after all these years and you go behind him? So yeah, it’s just that our (Pakistan’s) ex-cricketers and cricketers who are behind him can’t see that a guy has gone on to become so big and score so many runs and achieve so much. Instead of appreciating him, they criticise him.
Also, when you go behind someone so much then it’s pretty obvious that their form will become poorer. You sit in front of the TV and criticize him for no reason. The amount of runs he scores is more than the runs his critics have made in their whole careers. I think people should think carefully and think twice before saying anything.
Arvind Kalyana Krishnan: Ok, now my last question to you is that cricket is in your DNA, it’s in your blood, so when you were growing up, was there any kind of family pressure?
Usman Qadir: As such there wasn’t anything like that. For me, I wanted to play international cricket, and god gave me that. So as for the rest, I don’t know what the future holds…..That’ll depend.
