Abdul Qadir Khan is a former Pakistani cricketer who was born in Lahore, Punjab, on September 15, 1955. He batted right-handed and bowled right-handed leg spin.
He was mostly a bowler, although he did help with the bat on occasion. He is credited with reviving leg spin in cricket.
Background
Abdul Qadir began his first-class cricket career with Habib Bank Limited. In the 1975-76 season, he made his debut, taking five wickets in his first match.
He has also represented Lahore and has a lot of wickets to his credit. His consistent ability to harass batsmen quickly earned him a spot in the national team.
Debut
Qadir made his Test debut against England in December 1977, taking one wicket. The match ended in a draw, but Qadir was held for the next one.
He made an impression in the following match, dismissing six English batsmen in the first innings alone. Since the match was drawn once more, he made England his favourite goal after that.
In the 1983 Prudential World Cup in England, he made his ODI debut against New Zealand. In Pakistan’s defeat, he took four wickets.
Rise to Glory
He took 15 wickets in five matches during the 1984 Benson and Hedges World Series, including a five-wicket haul against Australia. He was at the top of his game in 1986, taking at least three wickets in every match and holding his score below 20.
He didn’t spare any player in Test Cricket. England is his favourite team, having taken eight of the fifteen five-wicket hauls and four of the five ten-wicket hauls.
In the 1980s, both the British and West Indian batsmen were helpless against him. His career best of 9/56 against England in Lahore still stands as the best effort by a Pakistani bowler to date.
Low Points
Abdul Qadir may have frustrated batsmen all over the world, but he failed to bowl to Indian cricketers even at his best. In a warm-up contest, Sachin Tendulkar, a rookie at the time, struck four sixes to him, and seniors like Kapil Dev hit him harder.
In the 1980s, the Indians reduced him to a wicketless bowler, and he was dropped from the side. He finally gave in after seeing Mushtaq Ahmed take the lead.
Captaincy
Despite being a great bowler, Qadir was never a good captain. He was only able to lead his team to victory against Bangladesh, a cricketing newcomer at the time.
Retirement
In November 1993, Abdul Qadir retired from cricket and established a Cricket Academy in Punjab. He trained potential players like Danish Kaneria, who went on to become successful leg spinners.
In 2008, he has served as the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Chief Selector. He resigned, however, due to disputes with the management.