Karachi: Pakistan batsman Usman Qadir has accused former Pakistan team manager Mohammad Hafeez of removing him from the national team and hinted at a strained relationship with captain Babar Azam.
Speaking on a local YouTube channel, Usman said that T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi’s good performance in domestic cricket will earn him a place in the New Zealand series starting in January this year.
Soon after that, with God’s help, I was able to perform well. I took 5 wickets in. One match and in total I took 13 wickets in 8 matches, so I was happy to come back, but the call did not come, the team was announced on my behalf.
Usman had hoped to return to the national team but was disappointed when his name was not included in the squad list. When asked, it was reported that Hafiz, who was the director at the time, was against the election.
“When I asked, they said Hafeez didn’t agree. Hafeez was the director and because he didn’t agree, they couldn’t cast me,” said Usman.
When asked by the host whether he had discussed the right-arm spinner’s role with his close friend captain Babar Azam, Usman refused to comment.
“Let’s leave it at that. The conversation can go in many directions. I choose to put it out there. If anything, the conversation can go off topic and go beyond what was meant,” he said.
It is worth noting that Usman has played only 25 T20Is and one ODI for Pakistan and has not been given a consistent opportunity to establish himself as a reliable player for the national team.