Abdul Qadir

Abdul Qadir, the mercurial and magical leg-spinner, has passed away. He revived the art of leg-spin bowling in the 1980s, going on to influence a number of star spinners, including Shane Warne. When on song, he was nearly unplayable. He was also the first to claim that he could bowl six different variations of leg-spin in a single over. And he often did.

Impulsive and eccentric, Qadir made his Test debut in 1977. He was dropped from the side in 1978 and then again in 1980. This was also the period when leg-spin was going out of fashion in international cricket. Qadir faded into obscurity, until two years later in 1982, he was recalled to the side by the new captain Imran Khan. Between ‘82 and ‘89, he became the world’s most feared and enigmatic leg-spinner.

Naveed Abbas Maitlo

Islamabad