Misbah explains why he picked Usman Qadir over Zahid Mahmood for Zimbabwe series

Pak vs Zim: Misbah explains why he picked Usman Qadir over Zahid Mahmood

By Web Desk
October 21, 2020
Zahid Mahmood (L) was snubbed in favour of Usman Qadir (R), the son of late leg-spin legend Abdul Qadir, for the upcoming Zimbabwe series.

Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has explained why he preferred Usman Qadir over fellow leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood in Pakistan squad for the Zimbabwe series despite the latter having taken more wickets in the recently concluded National T20 Cup and helping his side reach the final.

Mahmood's snub had caused an uproar on social media and among fans, who were left scratching their heads that on what basis a leggie was picked over another who had more wickets and played a much greater role in his side's progression to the final.

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Misbah, in quotes attributed to PTV on CricketPakistan, explained why he did what he did.

"Zahid Mahmood is mature and has more control at the moment as compared to Usman Qadir but if you to look at the variations of both spinners, Usman is ahead of Zahid," the outgoing chief selector said.

"We have also invested almost a year in Usman. We took him to Australia and he was also part of the Bangladesh home series."

Misbah further said that the decision was a collective one as he tried to shed the impression that the absence of any Karachi-based players in the Pakistan squad for Zimbabwe series have anything to do with ethnic or geographical preferences. 

"Even the other selectors also agreed that we should first give Usman another chance and see how he goes," he said. 

"He has potential to go on and become a better bowler, which is why he was selected for the series."

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