Legendary spinner late Abdul Qadir inducted in ICC Hall of Fame

Legendary spinner late Abdul Qadir inducted in ICC Hall of Fame.

LAHORE (Dunya News) - 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.

Usman Qadir, son of Abdul Qadir said, “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.”

Meanwhile, Chanderpaul was one of the most instantly recognisable figures in the history of West Indies cricket. He made his debut at 19 and quickly began to excel against opposition bowlers. Registering 13 half-centuries before his maiden Test century arrived, the floodgates then opened and he became the rock of the West Indies batting lineup over a 21-year international career. Resilience, control and impenetrable defence, which was prolific enough to earn him 30 Test centuries, and eventually become the second West Indian to reach 10,000 Test runs. Not limited to the longest format, Chanderpaul also excelled in ODIs, amassing 8,778 runs in 268 outings.

On the news of his induction, Chanderpaul said, “It’s an amazing honour. I’m grateful for the recognition and would like to enjoy the moment with family, friends and most importantly the West Indies cricket fans and fans around the world who passionately supported me throughout my career.”

Over the course of a 20-year international career, Edwards became one of the most significant players in the history of women’s cricket. Starting her international journey as a 16-year-old, she soon announced herself by striking a world-record unbeaten 173 against Ireland in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in Pune. She became captain from 2006, and inspired England to numerous Ashes victories at home and away, as well as ICC crowns in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in Australia in 2009 and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England the same year. When she retired in 2016, she left as the leading female run-scorer in both ODIs and T20Is.

Reacting to joining Hall of Fame, Edwards said, “It’s a massive honour to be included in the ICC Hall of Fame. I’d like to thank and share this moment with my family and friends, my teammates and all of the coaches that have supported me throughout. I’m absolutely delighted to be inducted into to the ICC Hall of Fame.”

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said, “The ICC Hall of Fame continues to celebrate the iconic individuals that have shaped the history of cricket. It is wonderful to commemorate the lasting contributions of Shivnarine, Charlotte and Qadir. All three of them have enjoyed tremendous success on the international stage and are richly deserving of their status as ICC Hall of Famers.”