The Pakistan ODI and Twenty20 squad for the Caribbean tour has thrown up plenty of surprises. Many senior players have been cast aside, and much faith has been placed upon young and talented cricketers. One such name is young middle order batsman Usman Salahuddin. In an exclusive chat with PakPassion.net, Usman could barely contain his elation at receiving his maiden call-up to the Pakistan team.

By Ahmed Zulfiqar

8 April 2011

 

The Pakistan ODI and Twenty20 squad for the tour of the Caribbean has thrown up plenty of surprises. Many senior players have been cast aside, and much faith has been placed upon young and talented cricketers that have been performing well in the Pakistani domestic circuit. One such name is young middle order batsman Usman Salahuddin.

The 20-year old right hander from Lahore has had a sensational start to his first-class career, already racking up 5 hundreds and eight fifites in just 24 matches, at a healthy average of 41.8. He recently made the headlines for playing a match winning hand of 56 not out in the One Day National Cup Division 2 final, hitting a four off the penultimate ball of the game to seal a memorable victory for the Lahore Eagles.

In an exclusive chat with PakPassion.net, Usman could barely contain his elation at receiving his maiden call-up to the Pakistan cricket team.

“It's a dream come true - I was simply overjoyed and couldn’t believe it. I had absolutely no idea that I would be selected for the tour, I was in fact playing a match at the time when I was informed that my name had come up for selection. It is a dream for any player to represent their country, and I consider myself extremely lucky to be given an opportunity at such a young age.”

“I’m extremely thankful to the selectors, and Inshallah will definitely perform if I am given a chance.”

When queried about what he was hoping to learn on the tour, Usman had clear goals and targets in mind.

“I have much to learn, as there a lot of senior players such as Misbah bhai, Shahid bhai and Hafeez bhai on the tour as well. They are senior players and will lend a lot of support, as they have to other young players like Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal.”

The leap from domestic to international cricket is a daunting one, and many a player have faltered and not been able to make that adjustment. Usman however, remained confident that he would be able to cope up with the rigors of top-level cricket.

“I think I am quite well-prepared, I have made runs on pitches that were very fast, and have played against a lot of strong bowling attacks, such as KRL for example. They have one of the toughest bowling attacks in Pakistani domestic cricket, and I made 141 against them, as well as that knock in the One Day Cup final. So I am quite confident of doing well.”

Overseas tours pose their own unique set of challenges and obstacles. Having not played for the Pakistan ‘A’ side, there was concern that Usman may not be ready for such a difficult tour as the Caribbean. Usman however, did not consider it a serious drawback.

“I have toured 3-4 times with the U19 side, so it will not be such a huge adjustment for myself, and am sure it will not affect my performance.”

Having shown his prowess in Division 2, a step up to one of the bigger teams in Division 1 would be the natural goal. Usman though, did not see it as such an immediate priority.

“Actually Division 1, Division 2, these are just names. There is not a big difference between them; there is very mature and tough cricket being played in Division 2 as well. Teams such as KRL & State Bank, they have very good bowling attacks with players who have represented Pakistan in their ranks, so I do not see the need to change right now.”