Abdul Qadir honoured with ICC Hall of Fame

DUBAI: International Cricket Council on Tuesday announced the induction of Pakistan’s legendary leg-spinner, Abdul Qadir, into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

The late spinner has been included in the most illustrious list of cricketers for a remarkable career that lasted more than a decade.

Qadir became the seventh Pakistani to receive the honour as his compatriots Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, and Hanif Mohammad had already been admitted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

The legendary spinner was joined by West Indies’ great Shivnarine Chanderpaul and England women’s team former captain Charlotte Edwards in the latest entries to the elite list.

Qadir, who passed away in 2019, is well known for revolutionising the art of spin bowling as Australian legend Shane Warne once recalled that he looked up to Qadir while watching him on television during the 1980s.

He made his debut in 1977 against England in the home Test series and went on to represent Pakistan for over 13 years during which he appeared in 67 Test matches and 104 ODI games. He finished his career with 236 Test wickets and 132 ODI wickets.

“On behalf of the 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 honour 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,” said Qadir’s son Usman – who now plays for Pakistan as a right-arm leg spinner, continuing his father’s legacy.

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