‘I have screenshots’ – Usman Qadir claims PCB mismanaged injury for months

Having made his international debut in 2020, Usman has played 25 T20Is and one ODI for Pakistan. His last international appearance came in the 2023 Asian Games where teams had sent second-string squads. Since then, he has not been picked for Pakistan due to a combination of injuries and lack of performances.

Usman was originally a part of Pakistan’s 2022 T20 World Cup squad in Australia, but had to replaced before the tournament began due to a thumb injury he suffered in a T20I against England.

In a chat with YouTuber Hafiz Muhammad Imran recently, Usman detailed how his thumb injury before the 2022 T20 World Cup was mismanaged in order to allegedly keep him out of the team.

“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.’

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“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 said, ‘Let’s see.’ I went to the nets the next day and bowled. Saqlain (Mushtaq) Bhai said, ‘What are you doing? You can’t bowl before the 14th day.’

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“When I asked him why, he said, ‘The chaos within the board will intensify if someone videographs you bowling.’ Instead, he asked to 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.

Usman then revealed that he wasn’t given clearance for the final of the tri-series against New Zealand and Bangladesh, was dropped from the T20 World Cup squad despite being picked initially, and was neither allowed to go back home to play domestic cricket.

“In the tri-nation final against New Zealand, I asked them for fitness clearance. They said we will let you know after the final. We won the series. The team was announced later, and I was out of the World Cup. I had been picked before, but now I was out. I was still fine, I’d be in reserves. I requested them to go back to Pakistan – ‘I’m anyway a reserve. I can at least play first class.’ They refused.

“After the WC, there was a big period – Test series, ODIs, no T20Is. There was PSL, and then the NZ series. After the PSL, I wasn’t picked, and the doc messaged me.

“He said, ‘You are a good bowler, I know you would make a comeback.’ I messaged him, ‘I kept insisting you I’m fit, let me play. You didn’t listen to me. This has all happened because of you.’

“He said, ‘Yes, I agree, you were fine in the World Cup.’

“Who should I tell that they did this to me? I have proof and screenshots, and all evidence. How do I explain that one person has done this to my career? He was the kind of doctor who wouldn’t know which medicine to take for fever.

“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.”

This is not the first major allegation of a player’s injury mismanagement in the Pakistan team in recent times. Ihsanullah, the tearaway quick who burst into limelight in PSL 2023, had his elbow injury reportedly mistreated and mismanaged, a revelation that came to light in the last week which led to the PCB’s chief medical officer Dr Sohail Saleem quitting his job.