KP: You are now 18 years of age & are yet to play a first class game or domestic T20 game despite many good performances at youth level. How do you feel about this?
Usman Qadir: I can’t say much about that as it is not in my hands, but it feels really good when you put in awesome performances for the team wherever you play & for whomever you play for.
KP: Do you think the current Pakistan u19 team are stronger than the team in 2010 when Azeem Ghumman was captain? That team had players like Hammad Azam, Ahmed Shehzad & Raza Hasan. You will know the answer better than most people because you played in both teams?
Usman Qadir: Well, this is a very difficult question for me to answer. Both are awesome teams with talented players, but it comes down to the players and how they perform on the day.
KP: You are the most experienced bowler in the under 19 team. Does this put more pressure on you to perform? Do you enjoy the added responsibility?
Usman Qadir: Yes I do. I like having responsibility. When someone is giving me the responsibility then I want to prove myself that I have something to offer. I want to repay the confidence, the trust & faith the people have had in me.
KP: Do you think by the 2019 World Cup in England you will be the Pakistan national team premier spinner?
Usman Qadir: Yes InshALLAH
KP: Why is Salman Qadir not playing domestic cricket regularly nowadays?
Usman Qadir: Well he does sometimes & he doesn’t other times. He doesn’t play regularly because he’s not really given proper chances to show what he can do.
KP: How many brothers/sisters do you have? How supportive are they towards your cricket?
Usman Qadir: We are a family of 3 brothers & 2 sisters & they all support me a tremendous amount which always helps when the family is behind you
KP: What are your 3 most memorable performances up to now at any major level?
Usman Qadir: They are……..
5-35 playing for national cricket academy colts in 2009 in one day tournament http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/260/260146.html
7-29 including a hattrick in the Under 16 inter-regional one day tournament final in 2009
Taking 4 wickets & being adjudged Man of the Match in the Under-19 World Cup encounter against Papua New Guinea in 2010 at the age of 16.
KP: I heard that when Inzamam came to your home you got the chance to bowl to him? Is this true? Did he really edge the first ball you bowled to him? What did he say about you?
Usman Qadir: Yes, it is true. Inzamam is a legend. That time I was just 14 years of age. I said to my father that I wanted to bowl to him & he thankfully agreed. The first delivery I bowled to him he got out in the slips. Suddenly, he said “Qadir bhai your son has just fooled me.”
KP: Have you bowled against Younis Khan & Misbah ul Haq before? What is your personal opinion on them as middle order batsmen and about Misbah as captain? Is he the right man to captain the Pakistan team or not & why?
Usman Qadir: I haven’t bowled against Younis bhai before. I have had the chance to bowl to Misbah before during the domestic one day competition in 2010 which his side also won. Misbah is a strong middle order batsman. Misbah is also an awesome captain. The main reason is because he has a brilliant cricketing brain which he can use & uses well when captaining the side.
KP: Your father once said that at the age of 14 you bowled a googly better than Shane Warne in the very first article which was written about you in 2008. Can you bowl the googly as well as your father who was a genius? Like your father do you have more than one googly or not?
Usman Qadir: That was written about me, but I don’t think I can bowl the googly as well as my father. He was a legendary cricketer. There aren’t many like him.
KP: Leg spin is a very hard art to master. What is the most important thing about leg spin bowling?
Usman Qadir: It is difficult to master the art of leg spin bowling. It’s not an easy job which any person can do. You have to be god gifted to be able to do it & do it well. I am lucky in the sense that it runs in the blood because of my father.
KP: At international level today who is the best leg spinner in the world in your honest opinion & why? Is it Bishoo, Imran Tahir, Shahid Afridi, Amit Misra, Rahul Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Adil Rashid or someone else (please select a name)?
Usman Qadir: At the international level I really like Imran Tahir because in my opinion he is the best leg spinner in the world nowadays. Imran is also a very hard worker & passionate cricketer & this is what makes him stand out above the rest. Imran also plays the longer version of the game as well, but not many other leg spinners do currently. Just like me he tries to imitate the bowling action of my father.
KP: At international level today who is the best leg spinner in the world in your honest opinion & why? Is it Bishoo, Imran Tahir, Shahid Afridi, Amit Misra, Rahul Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Adil Rashid or someone else (please select a name)?
Usman Qadir: At the international level I really like Imran Tahir because in my opinion he is the best leg spinner in the world nowadays. Imran is also a very hard worker & passionate cricketer & this is what makes him stand out above the rest. Imran also plays the longer version of the game as well, but not many other leg spinners do currently. Just like me he tries to imitate the bowling action of my father.
KP: What is more important for a leg spinner? Control or variation? Do you think you have both? Do you have power plays in Under 19 cricket which are the same as international cricket where you have a 5 over bowling and 5 over batting power play which has to be taken in between overs 15 & 40 where only 3 fielders are allowed outside the circle? Do you bowl in them like Saeed Ajmal does?
Usman Qadir: First & foremost line & length is extremely important. Once you have got to grips with line & length then you can expand & develop on your bowling further. It sometimes just depends on how the wicket behaves & whether you can exploit the demons in the track. By the grace of the almighty I can say I think I have got both control & variation in my repertoire to become an effective leg spinner.
KP: What can we expect from Usman Qadir in the Under 19 World Cup?
Usman Qadir: InshALLAH I won’t disappoint. InshALLAH I will give my best performances & put in my 100%. InshALLAH I will give some awesome performances for the country.
KP: Babar has captained you at the under 15 level as well. He did that successfully when you were runners up in the Under 15 World Cup in the West Indies & champions of the knock out tournament in 2008. Now he is captaining the under 19 team which played some excellent cricket in South Africa. How do you rate him as a captain? What is special about his captaincy? You have played a lot of cricket together so must know each other really well.
Usman Qadir: He is an awesome cricketer, an awesome captain. I have played lots of cricket with him & we know each other really well as you say. Babar is also my closest friend, but when we are on the field together representing Pakistan that time we forget about any such friendship as it’s a team of 11 players playing for the nation. If I’m wrong about anything then he gets angry with me just like he gets angry with anyone else who was not doing as they are meant to be doing. But when things are not going someone’s way in the team, he is also very supportive towards them & that is why he makes a special captain you can say. Strict, but supportive too. He gets the balance right.
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