Pakistan-born spinner Usman Qadir’s hoped of representing Australia one day were handed a major boost on Friday after he was named in the Prime Minister’s XI squad to face South Africa in a warm-up game.
Son of legendary Pakistan spinner Abdul Qadir, Usman had moved to Australia in 2016 after being frustrated with his lack of progress in the country’s domestic setup.
The 25-year-old is hoping to gain Australian citizenship by 2020 and has already set his sights on representing the nation in the Twenty20 World Cup which will be held in the same year.
A leg-spinner like his legendary father, Usman had made his Western Australia debut recently in a JLT One-Day Cup clash against Victoria where he finished with figures of 3-50.
Among the names in the Prime Minister’s XI squad are former U19 skipper Jason Sangha, pacer Jason Behrendorff and batsman Nic Maddison.
Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP and the National Selection Panel have named the Prime Minister's XI to take on South Africa https://t.co/TpyuJUjjyh pic.twitter.com/zAKUjie1aa
— Cricket Australia (@CAComms) October 19, 2018
The Aussie Prime Minister’s XI has traditionally featured a mix of young and upcoming cricketers along with established stars and a few veterans.
The squad will be led by former Australia limited-overs captain George Bailey while former Test opener Chris Rogers will lend his years of experience.
The Bailey-led team will take on the Proteas in a 50-over clash at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on October 31. That match will serve as the sole warm-up game for South Africa ahead of their limited-overs clashes with Australia.
