MAGICAL LEG SPINNER ABDUL QADIR PASSED AWAY:

Magician leg spinner Abdul Qadir Khan from Lahore, Pakistan was born on September 15, 1955. He was among one of the finest leg spinners of his era. Cricket has Abdul Qadir to thank for keeping wrist-spin alive through the darkest years of the late 1970s and ’80s. He played for Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited, Punjab, and Lahore. He was leg break googly bowler and also a right-handed batsman. On 6 September 2019, legend Abdul Qadir died of cardiac arrest in Lahore and left the entire cricket world saddened. He was very down to earth person with a good sense of humor. He was the life of the dressing room. Cricket world will never forget this legend and his contributions to the cricket. Let’s have a look at his career.

QADIR’S GREAT CAREER:

Abdul Qadir khan played list A cricket from 1975/76 to 1993/94 approximately 19 years while his First-class span was from 1975/76 to 1995/96 approximately 20 years. Abdul Qadir made his test debut against England at Lahore on December 14, 1977, while he played his last test match against West Indies at Lahore on December 06, 1990. He made his One Day International debut against New Zealand at Birmingham on June 11, 1983, while he played his last One Day International against Sri Lanka at Sharjah on November 02, 1993. He revived the art of leg-spin and the credit goes to Abdul Qadir khan for the revival of leg-spin in the dark times of cricket.

STATS OF GREAT ABDUL QADIR KHAN:

The career stats of the great Abdul Qadir Khan is always pleasing to look at. Let’s take a look at his stats:

First-Class Career:

In his 209 first-class matches, Abdul Qadir took 960 wickets with an average of 23.24. His best bowling performance in innings was 9/49 while his best bowling performance for in match was 13/101. He took 75 5-wicket hauls and 21 10-wicket hauls. His economy was 2.73. He also scored 3740 runs with an average of 18.33. His high score was 112. He scored 2 centuries (100) and 8 half-centuries (50).

List A Career:

In his 147 List A matches, he took 202 wickets with an average of 23.09. His best bowling performance was 5/31. His economy rate was 3.99. He took 3 5-wicket hauls. He also scored 869 runs with an average of 14.01. His high score was 41*.

Test Career:

In his 111 innings of 67 test matches, he took 236 wickets with an average of 32.80. His best bowling performance in an innings was 9/56 while his best bowling performance of the match was 13/101. His economy rate was 2.71. He took 15 5-wicket hauls and 5 10-wicket hauls. He also scored 1029 runs in 77 innings with an average of 15.59. His high score was 61 and he scored 3 half-centuries (50).

ODI Career:

In his 100 innings of 104 One Day International matches, Abdul Qadir Khan took 132 wickets with an average of 26.16. His best bowling performance was 5/44. His economy rate was 4.06. He took 2 5-wicket hauls. He also scored 641 runs with the best performance of 41*.

HOW PAKISTANI CRICKETERS REACT TO QADIR’S DEMISE:

Condolences are pouring in after the demise of legendary former Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir who has died at the age of 63. Former Pakistan captains Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Moin Khan, Rashid Latif, and Misbah-ul-Haq, and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar led the condolence messages, saying Qadir´s death was “a great loss of Pakistan cricket”.

Wasim Akram on Twitter:

Wasim Akram tweet on Abdul Qadir’s demise that “They called him the magician for many reasons but when he looked me in the eyes & told me I was going to play for Pakistan for the next 20 years, I believed him. A Magician, absolutely. A leg spinner & a trailblazer of his time. You will be missed Abdul Qadir but never forgotten”.

Shoaib Akhtar on Twitter:

Shoaib Akhtar said that “Legendary leg spinner Abdul Qadir sb passed away. I just got this sad news. The revival of leg-spin in cricket is completely credited to him. He inspired a generation of bowlers to take up leg-spin.

Inna lillahi wa inna elaihi rajaoon”.

PCB on twitter:

Pakistan cricket board issued an official statement on Twitter, saying that “PCB is shocked at the news of ‘maestro’ Abdul Qadir’s passing and has offered its deepest condolences to his family and friends”.

Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan on the demise of Abdul Qadir:

Imran Khan said that “Pakistan had become bereft of an eminent cricketer who had enriched Pakistan’s image worldwide”, he also added, “His demise had also deprived me of a friend which is saddening”.

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff on the demise of Abdul Qadir:

COAS on the demise of Abdul Qadir said that “Pakistan has lost a great sportsman and a human being. May Allah bless his soul and gives strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss, Aameen”.

Saeed Ajmal on twitter:

“May Allah bless the departed soul of legendary leg spinner Abdul Qadir Sahib who has passed away due to heart attack. It’s sad news for all of us. May Allah give patience to the rest of the family. RIP Ameen”.

Sarfaraz Ahmed on twitter:

“Absolutely shocking news to hear the sad passing Legend Abdul Qadir Saab. May Allah SWT grant him the highest rank in Jannah and his family the patience to bear the loss”.

Azhar Mahmood on twitter:

“Absolutely shocking news to hear the sad passing of Abdul Qadir Saab … a legend and a great human. May Allah SWT grant him the highest rank in Jannah and his family the patience to bear the loss. Ameen”.

Shoaib Malik:

“My heart goes out to the family of our legend Abdul Qadir Saab, May Allah give him the highest level of Jannat and may people always remember him with love and the highest level of respect in this world, Ameen”.

Wahab Riaz on Twitter:

“A legend of the game, Abdul Qadir left us today. Inna lilahi wa Inna ilahi raajioon. #RIP”.

Faisal Iqbal:

“Really Sad To Hear the News of Abdul Qadir Saab Death Due to Heart Attack. May Allah Rest his Soul In Peace & Grant Him Jannat & Saber To his Family!! Ameen”.

Kamran Akmal:

“Our legend star our Elder Mr. Abdul Qadir is no more with us quite shocking news for all of us. May Allah make his last journey easy & Give him the best place in Jannah Ameen”.

Fawad Alam:

“Such a piece of shocking news our legendary bowler Abdul Qadir passed away in Lahore. Prayers for him and his family in this hard time”.

Sohail Tanveer:

“Shocking and sad news, Abdul Qadir the legendary leg spinner is no more, may his soul rest in peace. Condolence to the family #RIPAbdulQadir”.

Babar Azam:

“We all belong to Allah SWT and to him we all shall return. Deeply saddened to hear about Sir Abdul Qadir’s death. May Allah meet his soul with a smile & keep him in His shade of love & mercy, Ameen”.

Azhar Ali:

“One of the greatest cricketer Pakistan ever produced. I can’t believe Abdul Qadir Saab is no more. #AbdulQadir”.

INDIAN CRICKETERS RESPOND TO ABDUL QADIR’S DEMISE:

Sachin Tendulkar:

“Remember playing against Abdul Qadir, one of the best spinners of his times. My heartfelt condolences to his family. RIP”.

VVS Laxman:

“Sad to hear about the demise of Abdul Qadir. He was always mesmerized by his unique style of bowling and he was one of the best leg-spinners to play the game. Heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones”.

Anil Kumble:

“Saddened to hear about the sudden demise of Abdul Qadir, a great exponent of leg-spin who revived the art. Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends”.

Ravichandran Ashwin:

“Extremely saddened by the demise of Abdul Qadir the spin bowling stalwart from Pakistan. My heart goes out to his family and friends. #RIP”.

Harsha Bhogle:

“Shocked to hear that the maestro Abdul Qadir is no more. Such a personality. Had the opportunity of making friends with him when he was playing in Melbourne in the late 90s. Loved the stories he told. One of the greats”.

Sportsmen and everyone from different fields of life, who knows Abdul Qadir are sad after hearing the news of his demise. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. Rest in Peace Abdul Qadir khan, a great human, and the legend of the cricket.