LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday inducted legendary Pakistani spinner late Abdul Qadir in the ICC Hall of Fame.
Among Qadir, the other legends that join the prestigious list of cricketing greats that makes up the ICC Hall of Fame include Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Charlotte Edwards.
Following a voting process that included existing Hall of Famers, media representatives plus senior executives from Federation of International Cricketers (FICA) and the ICC, Chanderpaul, Edwards and Qadir have become inductees’ number 107, 108 and 109 respectively, said a press release.
All new three inductees would be honoured in a special presentation ceremony to take place prior to the start of play at the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
It may be mentioned that Qadir passed away in 2019 at the age of 63, but his influence of the game in Pakistan and the wider world was still felt strongly today. Often labelled the saviour of leg-spin bowling during the 1970s and 80s, Qadir was renowned for outfoxing some of the greatest batters in the game with his dynamic action and majestic variation.
His 236 wickets across his 13-year career places 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. Following his retirement, he turned to coaching, mentoring fellow countrymen Mushtaq Ahmed, Danish Kaneria and Shahid Afridi, as well as Australia’s Shane Warne and South Africa’s Imran Tahir.
