Abdul Qadir (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Abdul Qadir Khan (born September 15, 1955) is a former Pakistan
i international cricket
er, later commentator
and was recently the Chief Selector of Pakistan Cricket Board
. He resigned from the post because of his differences with the top brass of Pakistan cricket board. His main role was as a leg spin
bowler.
debut in the Pakistan local competition during the 1975/76 season and, within two years, his Test
debut on his home ground in Lahore
against England
in December 1977.
Natural talent combined with aggression and passion made Qadir one of the most successful spinners of his era. He had a distinct run-up, bounding in to the crease, and a great variety of deliveries: there was the orthodox leg-break, the topspinner
, two googlies
and the flipper. He was unique for bowling leg spin at a time when it was not only rare but considered obsolete, and he kept the torch alight for a generation of leg spinners. His fervent appeals made him a great favourite with the spectators but sometimes got him into trouble with umpires.
Qadir's second Test series, in England in 1978, was an injury-plagued let-down, but he was a strong and established force by his return in 1982, when his six wickets in the Lord's Test played a major role in a historic Pakistani victory.
In 1982/83, Qadir picked up 22 wickets in just three Tests as Pakistan made a clean sweep of its home rubber against Australia
. Qadir became the first bowler to take 100 wickets in a Pakistani season. He was enormously popular with Australian crowds.
Qadir took nineteen wickets in three Tests the following season as Pakistan cruised to its first-ever series triumph over England. At the Kennington Oval in 1987, his ten-wicket haul ensured another series win, this time in England.
Three months later, Qadir brought his art to an all new level, taking nine for 56 (an innings record for a Pakistani bowler in Test cricket) and four for 45 in a Test against England at Lahore. During this crusade, he moved past the 200-wicket mark, becoming the first man from his country ever to do so.
Qadir played first-class cricket for twenty years, finishing with 960 wicket
s at the bowling average
of 23.24. He was not shy of authority and frequently rebelled against it. His bowling and character are among the most zealous ever known in Test cricket.
, Lahore
, 1977/78
Last Test: vs West Indies
, Lahore, 1990/91
, Birmingham
, 1983 World Cup
Last ODI: vs Sri Lanka
, Sharjah
, 1993/94
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i international cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er, later commentator
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
and was recently the Chief Selector of Pakistan Cricket Board
Pakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board is a sporting organization that is responsible for governing all professional cricket including Test cricket and One Day International matches played in Pakistan...
. He resigned from the post because of his differences with the top brass of Pakistan cricket board. His main role was as a leg spin
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
bowler.
Playing career
Abdul Qadir made his first-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut in the Pakistan local competition during the 1975/76 season and, within two years, his Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debut on his home ground in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
in December 1977.
Natural talent combined with aggression and passion made Qadir one of the most successful spinners of his era. He had a distinct run-up, bounding in to the crease, and a great variety of deliveries: there was the orthodox leg-break, the topspinner
Topspinner
A top-spinner is a type of delivery bowled by a cricketer bowling either wrist spin or finger spin. In either case, the bowler imparts the ball with top spin by twisting it with his or her fingers prior to delivery...
, two googlies
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
and the flipper. He was unique for bowling leg spin at a time when it was not only rare but considered obsolete, and he kept the torch alight for a generation of leg spinners. His fervent appeals made him a great favourite with the spectators but sometimes got him into trouble with umpires.
Qadir's second Test series, in England in 1978, was an injury-plagued let-down, but he was a strong and established force by his return in 1982, when his six wickets in the Lord's Test played a major role in a historic Pakistani victory.
In 1982/83, Qadir picked up 22 wickets in just three Tests as Pakistan made a clean sweep of its home rubber against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
. Qadir became the first bowler to take 100 wickets in a Pakistani season. He was enormously popular with Australian crowds.
Qadir took nineteen wickets in three Tests the following season as Pakistan cruised to its first-ever series triumph over England. At the Kennington Oval in 1987, his ten-wicket haul ensured another series win, this time in England.
Three months later, Qadir brought his art to an all new level, taking nine for 56 (an innings record for a Pakistani bowler in Test cricket) and four for 45 in a Test against England at Lahore. During this crusade, he moved past the 200-wicket mark, becoming the first man from his country ever to do so.
Qadir played first-class cricket for twenty years, finishing with 960 wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s at the bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 23.24. He was not shy of authority and frequently rebelled against it. His bowling and character are among the most zealous ever known in Test cricket.
Pakistani first-class
- Habib Bank LimitedHabib Bank Limited cricket teamThe Habib Bank Limited cricket team are a first-class cricket side which compete in Pakistani domestic cricket. Younis Khan is the current captain of the side.- Current squad :KeyCorrect as of November 14 2010-Honours:* Patrons Trophy ...
- LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
- Punjab
Tests
Test Debut: vs EnglandEnglish cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, 1977/78
Last Test: vs West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
, Lahore, 1990/91
- Qadir's best Test batting score of 61 was made against England, KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, 1987/88 - His best Test bowling figures of 9 for 56 came against England, Lahore, 1987/88
One-day internationals
ODI Debut: vs New ZealandNew Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 1983 World Cup
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
Last ODI: vs Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
, Sharjah
Sharjah (city)
Sharjah is the third largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula.Sharjah is the seat of government of the emirate of Sharjah...
, 1993/94
- Qadir's best ODI batting score of 41 not out was made against New Zealand, Birmingham, 1983 World Cup
- His best ODI bowling figures of 5 for 44 came against Sri Lanka, LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, 1983 World Cup - His ODI captaincy record: 5 matches, 1 win, 4 losses
First-class
- Qadir's best first-class batting score was 112
- His best first-class bowling figures were 9 for 49
List A Limited Overs
- Qadir's best List A batting score was 41 not out
- His best List A bowling figures were 5 for 31