Fazal Mahmood, Abdul Qadir inducted into PCB Hall of Fame posthumously

Fazal Mahmood, Pakistan’s first great fast bowler and Abdul Qadir, credited with reviving wrist-spin bowling following his entry in international cricket in the late 1970s, have been inducted into the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Hall of Fame posthumously.

The two late former stars thus joined stalwarts Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Zaheer Abbas, who were the initial inductees to the PCB Hall of Fame by virtue of being part of the ICC Hall of Fame.

The formal inductions of all the eight PCB Hall of Famers will take place during the ongoing season.

PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said: “It is befitting that Fazal Mahmood and Abdul Qadir, legends from two different eras, be voted by their peers and admirers into the PCB Hall of Fame for 2021.

“This is a testament to their enormous popularity and is also a recognition of their services to this great game.

“Fazal’s heroics in the early days introduced Pakistan cricket to the world as a force to be reckoned with and later inspired the next generations of fast bowlers. The wily, crafty and magical Abdul Qadir revived and reignited the slowly vanishing art of wrist-spin bowling.” Fazal is known for inspiring a generation of Pakistani fast bowlers who would go on to become greats, with his exploits in the 1950s and 60s.

“Fazal Mahmood and Abdul Qadir are all-time greats and truly outstanding ambassadors for Pakistan and global cricket. This is just a small token of our appreciation and gratitude towards their contributions,” Ramiz added.

Considered the first superstar of Pakistan cricket, Fazal was born on February 18, 1927 in Lahore and took 139 wickets in 34 Tests from 1952 to 1962, including five wickets in an innings 13 times and 10 wickets or more in a match four times.

However, his first-class career had commenced eight years earlier when he represented Northern India in the Ranji Trophy. When he hung his boots after the 1963-64 season, he had grabbed 466 wickets in 112 matches.

In Pakistan’s debut Test series in 1952 in India, Fazal took 20 wickets, including 12 wickets in the Lucknow Test, which Pakistan won by an innings and 43 runs. In the return series in 1954-55, Fazal took 15 wickets in four Tests, while in the 1960-61 series he picked up nine wickets in five Tests.

In 1955, Fazal became the first Pakistan cricketer to be named in Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year, a year after his performances had helped Pakistan draw their first series against England in England.

Fazal claimed 20 wickets in the four-Test series, including match figures of 12 for 99 at The Oval that earned AH Kardar’s side a 24-run victory.

Qadir took 236 wickets in 67 Tests from 1977 to 1990, including five wickets in an innings 15 times and 10 wickets in a match five time. Besides, he has also scored 1,029 runs in Test cricket.

Qadir was also one of the first players to demonstrate that leg spin could be highly effective in one-day cricket by claiming 132 wickets and scoring 641 runs in 104 ODIs from 1983 to 1993.

In 209 first-class matches from 1975-76 to 1995-96, he captured 960 wickets and scored 3,740 runs, including two centuries.

Born on September 15, 1955 in Lahore, Qadir made his Test debut against England in 1977 and in only his second match in Hyderabad, took six for 44 with the Wisden Cricketers Almanack describing him as “the most notable discovery of his type for some time”.

In the 1987 Test series against the same opposition at Lahore, Qadir took nine for 56, which still stands as the best bowling performance by a Pakistan bowler.

One of Qadir’s memorable bowling spells was in the 1986 Faisalabad Test against the mighty West Indies when he claimed six for 16 to spin Viv Richards’ side out for a paltry 53 that handed Pakistan a 186 runs victory.

In 10 Tests against the West Indies, he picked up 42 wickets.

Qadir also featured in the 1983 and 1987 World Cups, taking 24 wickets in nine matches, including five for 44 against Sri Lanka at Headingley.