Pakistan’s spin bowling legend Abdul Qadir has become the country’s latest inductee into the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Hall of Fame, becoming the seventh Pakistani to join the prestigious list of cricketers from all over the world.
The ICC announced on Tuesday that Qadir had been admitted to the hall of fame. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a West Indian, and Charlotte Edwards, an Englishwoman, joined him.
Qadir played for Pakistan in 67 Test matches, capturing 236 wickets before passing away in 2019 from cardiac failure. He played in 104 one-day internationals and collected 132 wickets (ODI).
“Qadir’s influence on the sport in Pakistan and the world as a whole is still quite apparent. Qadir was known for outfoxing some of the best batters in the game with his dynamic action and majestic variation, earning him the nickname “the savior of leg-spin bowling” during the 1970s and 1980s, according to the ICC, which announced his nomination.
His 236 wickets across his 13-year career place him third in the list of Pakistan’s all-time prolific spinners.
“In limited overs cricket, he was a pioneer in wrist-spin techniques which can still be felt today, and he proved to be a pivotal figure in Pakistan’s 1983 and 1987 World Cup campaigns.
The ICC continued, “Following his retirement, he switched to coaching, and tutoring teammates from his own country, including Mushtaq Ahmed, Danish Kaneria, and Shahid Afridi, as well as Shane Warne of Australia and Imran Tahir of South Africa.
Usman, a Pakistani footballer, is Qadir’s son. Usman gave a speech at the event and thanked the ICC on behalf of his family.
“I want to say thank you very much to the ICC for nominating my father for induction into the Hall of Fame. It is a very big honor for the family to hear of this news, we see it as a huge achievement, and one that my father would be very proud of if he was still with us today,” he said.
Qadir’s former teammate Zaheer Abbas said that he was lucky not to play against the star player and termed him one of the best right-arm leg spinners in the world.
“In my point of view, he was a great competitor all the time smiling, talking about cricket, and he wants to know the weakness of a batsman and he used to challenge him while bowling. When he used to get wickets of any great batsman. He used to feel so proud of himself that not only his whole team was so happy for him for his achievements,” Zaheer said.
Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar was also full of praise for Qadir, saying that the player was a magician and it was joyful to watch him bowl.
“He was called Bahu which means a magician. And you know, everything about him was like a magician does, a lot of hands and movements to distract you while he performs his magic. He had everything, you name it, every single variety delivery that the leg spinner possesses and he was difficult to play,” Gavaskar said.
