My ambition was to play for Australia, says Usman Qadir after shock Pakistan call-up

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.