Pakistan’s leg-spinner Usman Qadir has revealed that the former management of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) mishandled his injury before the 2022 T20 World Cup which made him miss the tournament.
Usman, who has played 25 T20Is and only one ODI for Pakistan, was last in action against Bangladesh in October 2022 and has not played since.
He was part of the Green Shirts’ squad for the World Cup in 2022 but had to be replaced due to an injury he picked during the seven-match T20I series against England at home.
In a conversation with a local YouTuber, Qadir explained how his injury before the mega event was mismanaged which made him miss the World Cup in Australia.
“When we were playing England before the 2022 World Cup, I fractured my thumb,” Usman said. “This is very interesting… I fractured my thumb: after playing seven T20Is (against England), we went to New Zealand. People said, ‘Your thumb was broken, you’re only travelling around for fun.’
“Did I ask to be picked in the squad? They assured me I needed two weeks to rest and recover. Dr. Naj [Najeeb Soomro, PCB’s chief medical officer at that point] from Australia — I told him, ‘There’s no swelling on my thumb anymore, it’s not blue, and it’s moving easily, I am able to grip the ball and bowl properly.'."
He then revealed that despite being able to bowl in the nets, he was told by the management that he could not bowl and upon the results of the X-ray, the doctor told him he had two fractures, which was a surprise to him.
“I went to the nets the next day and bowled. Saqlain (Mushtaq)Bhaisaid, ‘What are you doing? You can’t bowl before the 14th day.’,” Qadir said.
“When I asked him why, he said, ‘The chaos within the board will intensify if someone videographs you bowling.’ Instead, he asked me to go for an X-ray.
“When the X-ray came back, the doc said I have two fractures. I was surprised: ‘I was told one fracture in Pakistan, you’re saying two.’ He said, ‘You need to rest.’ I understood what games they were playing.
“In Pakistan, I had one fracture. When I travelled, I had two. When I wasn’t selected for the World Cup, the doc said I’m a good bowler and I will be selected, and that I was actually fine to play the World Cup. Which PCB official should I go to and tell all this? Everyone knows everything (in the team). What do I say.”