Usman Qadir

Son of legendary Pakistan leg spinner Abdul Qadir, Usman is also a wrist spinner like his father. From his childhood days, he seemed a high class bowler and his stints for Pakistan U19 seemed to suggest the same. However, he couldn't quite push his game to the next level and it left him frustrated as a dip in form ensued. Usman then shifted base to Australia with the hope of representing the country. Being contracted with Western Australia helped but he had unimpressive First-class numbers and below-par List A figures to show, even as he did a reasonable job in T20 cricket. Usman, with a bowling action that's a replica of his father's, also got into the Big Bash League with Perth Scorchers. He harbored hopes of playing for Australia but citizenship was a barrier that needed time. While he figured out that it would be near impossible to play the 2020 World T20 for Australia, a shock U-Turn of events saw him being picked in Pakistan's T20I squad, ironically for the tour of Australia in late 2019. Despite his obvious talent, Usman is still relatively raw and needs incessant backing.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan