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Marnus Labuschagne eyes spot in T20 World Cup squad on the back of stellar BBL, Vitality Blast

Australia's number three in Tests, Marnus Labuschagne had a great Big Bash League with Brisbane Heat, where he scored quick runs and also picked up more than 10 wickets with his leg break. To back that up, he has now come back home from a great English summer playing for Glamorgan in the English domestic T20 competition—the Vitality Blast. 

Now, after a stellar season in England that produced 390 runs at an outstanding average of 55.71 and a strike rate of 140.79 with four half-centuries, Labuschagne has staked a claim for a spot in Australia's T20 World Cup squad. 

"I certainly think the games I played in England have helped me a lot with just learning my own game in T20 cricket and it's shown that if there's that sort of role that (selectors) need (to be filled), then I'm available,” he was quoted saying to cricket.com.au

It was not only his batting, but his part-time leg break did its good thing as well and the STS (Stranger than Smudge) believes that he has done everything he could to get the selector’s attention. 

"Pretty much everything I could've done (for T20 World Cup selection), I did in England. I played eight games in the Blast and that was really fun, just to play that role at three and four and bowling a lot of overs,” he said. 

The 27-year-old hasn’t yet debuted for the Kangaroos in the shortest format yet. With Mitchell Marsh in good nick and Steve Smith getting back from injury, it is going to be a tough competition for him to get into the team at the number three or four position.  

However, his ability to pick spin from the hand could be handy in the turning conditions and with 24 T20s under his belt in which he also has 20 wickets, the South Africa born is hoping that tides would turn in his favour. 

"I think it (play against spin) is certainly in my favour, but I'm not a selector so it's hard to judge how they're viewing it. But I certainly think where we're playing in the UAE, and with conditions being more spin-friendly, it might be an option,” he said. 

Australia have had a horrid time in T20 cricket, losing both their five-match series against West Indies and Bangladesh away from home 4-1. 

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Wish you played for Pakistan: How Usman’s last conversation with father Abdul Qadir changed it all

When Usman Qadir was doing exceedingly well in Australia for Western Australia and Perth Scorchers in domestic cricket and Big Bash League, so much so that he went on to represent Prime Minister’s XI against touring South Africa, his aim was to represent Australia by 2020 World Cup. This was in 2018. Cut to 2019 and Usman is taking to his father on a regular day. “One day, I was sitting with my dad and he was saying: ‘I know you are playing in Australia at the moment but my wish was that you play for Pakistan and have a star on your chest – it’s a dream for me.’,” Qadir was quoted as saying to Wisden. This conversation would have passed like many other had in September 2019, Abdul Qadir not suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away in Lahore at the age of 63. Usman was devastated, but his father’s sentences kept ringing in his mind. His goals suddenly changed. “What he said to me stuck in my head. I can’t tell you about that feeling,” said the 27-year-old. The leggie started putting in more hard work because he wanted to play for Pakistan. Results followed as only a month on from the loss of his father, Usman featured for Central Punjab in the National T20 Cup and good performances and an experience of Australian cricket made sure that he was selected in Pakistan’s T20I squad for a tour of Australia. However, it was not until November 2020 that Qadir finally got a shot at international cricket. In the home series of three T20Is against Zimbabwe, Usman picked eight wickets and was named Player of the Series, finally realising his father’s much-cherished dream. Usman says, “My father didn’t tell me to bowl leg-spin, nobody told me. It’s a natural thing I have in my blood. But he did want me to play for Pakistan.” Having fulfilled his father’s dreams, the Lahore born, who would be turning 28 in a few months time has now set his own goals. “My major goal is to play three World Cups in a row. This is my ambition. Inshallah, if I work hard, I will make it.” While his father is one of the most celebrated Test cricketers in Pakistan with 236 wickets from 67 Tests, how much would Usman get, is yet to be seen?