Even opposition noticed my fitness: Mir

Express Tribune

2 days ago

Pakistan leg-spinner Usama Mir has expressed his deep frustration over continuous exclusion from the national setup despite consistent performances and effort.
In a candid interview, Mir shared his side of the story, questioning the transparency of selection decisions.
"When I'm available, I don't get selected — so what's left to say about anything else? I just don't understand it," said Usama.
"I was the highest wicket-taker in last year's PSL, yet I wasn't picked. This year, although I didn't perform at that level, there were still players with worse performances who got selected. It's very clear to me now," he added.
The 29-year-old, who continues to be overlooked for national selection despite consistent performances, expressed his deep frustration over the handling of his career and selection process.
"I feel like I'm at a stage where, if I were given a chance, the response would simply be, 'Perform well and you'll be selected,' and so on," he said.
Highlighting his record-breaking achievements, the spinner questioned why his performances have not been rewarded.
"Even today, I still hold the record for the most wickets in a single PSL season over ten editions — but despite that, I wasn't picked. If you look at my last match performance, people still say, 'You won us that game — how did you get dropped after that?' I can't understand it either," he stated.
He then explained how he responded to criticism about his fitness by taking serious steps to improve.
"After that, I worked extremely hard. They made fitness an excuse. I was told I failed the fitness test, so I trained hard. I was captain of the Sialkot team; the trainers, the head coach—all can vouch for me. Even opposition teams were surprised by how much effort I was putting in," he revealed.
Despite putting in the work, Mir says he was never given the promised opportunity to prove his fitness.
"I got myself fit. They told me, 'You're being given time. Your test will be conducted later as Champions T20 is approaching.' But even at the promised time, no test was taken. I kept calling everyone—selectors, officials (I won't name names) — all the decision-makers. I was repeatedly told, 'Just wait a little longer.' And then came a time when they stopped responding altogether," he added.
He shared how the communication breakdown worsened, even when he made persistent efforts to reach out.
"They took a whole month to reply to just one of my messages. I was told, 'Your test is scheduled on this date.' That date never came. Rest days kept coming, but no test was conducted. This happened three, four, even five times. I kept calling — they stopped picking up. They stopped responding to messages," he lamented.
Usama recalled a particularly baffling situation before his Big Bash League stint, where confusion and miscommunication hit a new low.
"I was about to leave for the Big Bash League (BBL), and I wanted to clear everything before leaving. I landed in Sydney on the 23rd, and the next day, on the 24th, I received a message saying, 'You have to report on the 26th,'" he recalled.
He revealed that the same official who issued his NOC just days earlier seemed unaware of his travel.
"The same official had issued me the NOC on the 21st. I asked him, 'Don't you know where I am?' and he replied, 'I don't know.' I said, 'You're the one who issued the NOC! Didn't you check the dates before approving it? Now how can I just come back? I've been chasing you for a whole month, and now you suddenly want me to return?'" he recounted.
Concluding his statement, Usama said he still struggles to understand why he's been treated this way.
"These are the kind of things that happened with me—and I'm genuinely shocked as to why. I have proof of everything I've said," he concluded.