By PakPassion.net

I'd like to thank Usman Qadir for taking time out to do this interview and his brother Sulaman Qadir for putting us in touch with Usman.

PakPassion.Net: Do you play any other sports?

Usman Qadir: Not professionally but I do play soccer with my friends as a way to warm up for cricket, I play in defence.


PakPassion.Net: Who were your cricketing heroes when growing up?

Usman Qadir: I used to love watching both Gilchrist and Lara batting because they're both left handed batsmen like me.


PakPassion.Net: I thought you bowled right handed?

Usman Qadir: I do, I'm a bowling all-rounder. I bowl legspin with my right hand and I bat with my left hand.


PakPassion.Net: Which Pakistani players do you enjoy watching?

Usman Qadir: From the current era I really like Salman Butt and before that it was Wasim Akram and Aamir Sohail.


PakPassion.Net: All your heroes seem to be batsmen, which spinners do you admire?

Usman Qadir: Number one is my dad. I've watched every video of him that we have lying around the house to study his technique. Unfortunately it isn't easy to get videos of old Pakistan matches so I haven't seen as much of him bowling as I'd like to. Shane Warne is the other guy that I really like to watch and of course now there's Mendis whom I enjoy watching as well.


PakPassion.Net: All 3 of your older brothers went into cricket, what made you want to follow them rather than trying something else?

Usman Qadir: I really love playing cricket and it's always been my dream to play professionally. It's hard not to get caught up in cricket when you grow up in a house full of cricketers! 


PakPassion.Net: What's the best advice you've got and from who?

Usman Qadir: It was from my dad and my brothers, they told me to always maintain a good line and length as well as to work hard and to never give up. The coaches at the NCA have really helped me too, especially Ali Zia.


PakPassion.Net: We haven't seen you bowl yet so please describe your runup and action.

Usman Qadir: Everyone keeps telling me that my action looks a lot like my dads, I think that's the best way to describe it.


PakPassion.Net: What variations do you have and which ones are you stronger/weaker at?

Usman Qadir: My dad's taught me the leg break, the googly, the flipper and how to utilise the crease to change the angle of the ball. They're all strong but I'm working hard on making the even better.


PakPassion.Net: Yes but there's always some deliveries that you're less comfortable with. You're still young and learning, so which ones need more work than the others?

Usman Qadir: My leg break and flipper are the strongest but I'm still working hard on getting my googly up to the same standard as the other two.


PakPassion.Net: Do you look to get wickets by frustrating batsmen with immaculate line and length or by confusing them with your variation?

Usman Qadir: It depends on the wicket. Some days one way will work and other days you have to try something else. You also have to think about the calibre of the batsman you're facing, the match situation and the nature of the pitch too.


PakPassion.Net: What was your dad's advice about the best way to get a batsman out?

Usman Qadir: He said that I should try and frustrate the batsman. Bowl him as many maiden overs and dot deliveries as I can. This will force the batsman to play premeditated shots and take big risks which will mean that he gets himself out.


PakPassion.Net: Your dad said that you know the mind of the 3-dimensional batsman. What did he mean by that?

Usman Qadir: I don't know, I havent heard of that. The only thing I can think of is that maybe he meant that I can read the batsman's movements around his crease. This helps me work out where he likes playing his shots and where he's most vulnerable. If you know that then you can draw the batsman out to where you want him and then shoot the ball through onto the stumps or to the keeper for a stumping.


PakPassion.Net: You mentioned that you're a bowling all-rounder. Would you describe yourself as a technically correct batsman or an aggressive lower order hitter?

Usman Qadir: I play according to the match situation. If the team needs me to go after the bowling then I do but if the need of the hour is rotating the strike and keeping it to singles and doubles then I will do that too. It's all dependent on the match situation and what the team needs me to do.


PakPassion.Net: We certainly need more batsmen like that! How far can you hit the ball or do u prefer playing along the ground?

Usman Qadir: I can hit a six if I have to but I much prefer watching the ball roll down to the boundary, plus there's less chance of losing your wicket if you play the ball along the ground.


PakPassion.Net: How good is ur batting?

Usman Qadir: I'm not the one to ask. I guess you could say it's average, it's passable.


PakPassion.Net: How's your fielding and where do you field?

Usman Qadir: My fielding wasn't great but I've been working on it a lot and it's much better than it used to be. These days I usually field at point or mid-on.


PakPassion.Net: What's your training regimen and what's the best way for a spinner to strengthen his wrists and fingers?

Usman Qadir: I don't do anything specific for that. All you can do is to keep bowling all the time and eventually your hands and wrists will get stronger by themselves.


PakPassion.Net: Last year you went to the Carribean to play in the u15 WC. Was it your first tour abroad?

Usman Qadir: I've previously been to Dubai and Malaysia with the Pakistan Academy team, in Dubai we reached the semi-finals of an u13 championship. 


PakPassion.Net How did you find the u15 WC?

Usman Qadir: I really enjoyed the tour, it was a great experience. The atmosphere was lively and the weather was good too.


PakPassion.Net: The top 5 wicket takers in that u15 World Cup were all spinners, did the West Indies board prepare spinning wickets?

Usman Qadir: The wickets weren't especially helpful to spinners, it wasn't a spinners paradise or anything like that. Only those bowlers who had enough skill to spin the ball got results on those pitches.


PakPassion.Net: You took 17 wickets in 8 games at avg of 10. You were the best bowler for Pakistan and only one wicket behind the leading wicket taker for the tournament. How did you feel?

Usman Qadir: Although I personally performed well in the final as well as the whole tournament, Pakistan lost the cup so I was unhappy. It was bittersweet for me because in the end we lost the final and that's all that matters.


PakPassion.Net: Don't be so hard on yourself, you reached the final of the u15 WC and you won the Knockout Tournament held before the World Cup. So overall it was a successful tour for your team.

Usman Qadir: Yes we played well and I have lots of great memories from that experience.


PakPassion.Net: What were your best performances with the bat?

Usman Qadir: There was a 12* vs the Windies and the 22 I scored in the final.


PakPassion.Net: And with the ball?

Usman Qadir: I took 4/33 in the KO final and 3/34 in the WC Final which were both memorable performances under pressure.


PakPassion.Net: In that u15 WC, Pakistan's other top wicket taker (with 16 wickets) was Ahsan Jamil. He's already playing FC at just 16 years old, could he play for Pakistan someday?

Usman Qadir: He bowls left-arm chinaman and is a very good bowler. He has the leg break, the googly and the doosra so he's got good variety. He certainly has the talent to play for Pakistan in the future.


PakPassion.Net: what about Babar Azam the opener? He was the second highest run scorer in the u15 WC.

Usman Qadir: Babar is a very good right handed batsman who plays each ball on it's merit.


PakPassion.Net: Iktedar Ahmed of Bangladesh was the highest wicket taker of the u15 WC, he was also an opening batsman and the captain of his team. What did you think of him.

Usman Qadir: I didn't see much of him but from what I did see, he appeared to be a very good left-arm spinner.


PakPassion.Net: Any other players that did well?

Usman Qadir: Zafar Zohar had a good tournament. He's a left arm bowler who made two fifties and took 11 wickets.


PakPassion.Net: Would you give up your studies to start playing full time cricket and how far do you want to take your studies?

Usman Qadir: I'm trying to keep a balance between cricket and education, so I'd keep up my studies. I want to study till CSS.


PakPassion.Net: Has your dad ever suggested enrolling you in a college or university in the UK so that you can continue to play cricket whilst completing your studies?

Usman Qadir: He did suggest it once but we've decided against it for now.


PakPassion.Net: It's a shame you dont have the same choice in a cricket mad country like Pakistan.

Usman Qadir: Yes, I strongly agree with you on that.


PakPassion.Net: If you got the chance to play for Pakistan within the next couple of years, do u think you could handle the pressure?

Usman Qadir: Insha Allah I will get the chance and I'm confident that I can handle the pressure.


PakPassion.Net: Has your dad worked with Kaneria and as a legspinner yourself what do you think he can do to improve his bowling?

Usman Qadir: Actually I dont know if my dad has worked with him. As for my opinion, I think that he doesn't bowl with a cool mind and he rushes through his overs too fast. He doesnt give himself any time to plan between deliveries and more importantly he doesnt make the batsman wait. The more a legspinner makes a batsman wait the more time the batsman has to plan and think about the next delivery, this creates indecision in the batsman's mind. If you dont give the batsman time to think then he plays on instinct and that removes his indecision about what shot to play which is how a legspinner gets his wickets. 


PakPassion.Net: Do you remember when Shane Warne came to learn from your dad, if u were too young what have u heard about it?

Usman Qadir: I wasnt even born when that happened and my dad hasnt really mentioned it to me.


PakPassion.Net: Tell us about when Inzamam came to visit, what did you do to impress him so much?

Usman Qadir: I was really excited to meet him. When he arrived my dad took us onto the roof of the house where we have nets set up and asked me to bowl to him. On my first delivery, a leg break, he edged the ball to slip!


PakPassion.Net: I did an interview with Aaqib Javed who was also singing your praises. How will you stop yourself getting a big head?

Usman Qadir: I concentrate on my performances, as long as I'm taking wickets and helping my team win then I should be fine. 


PakPassion.Net: Do you have any interests outside cricket?

Usman Qadir: Nothing at the the moment, right now it's just cricket.


PakPassion.Net: What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a star son?

Usman Qadir: My brothers have told me that there's no advantage. All you get is immense pressure and an expectation to do as well or better than your dad.