Abdul Qadir. Genius or enigmatic flop?

[watson]

Abdul Qadir. Genius or enigmatic flop?

If you were to observe Qadir bowl for any length of time then you'd have to conclude genius;

*GENIUS* ABDUL QADIR - THE LEGEND - A COMPILATION OF HIS BEST BOWLING - YouTube

I especially liked watching the 'wrongun' during the opening seconds of Robelinda's Youtube video that cleaned up Kim Hughes (WACA,1983?).

However, his figures just don't back up his obvious skills. 236 wickets at 32.80 with a Strike Rate of 72.5 is quite ordinary. What's more, these numbers only appear OK because of his good record at home. Qadir's away record is very disappointing . For example, in Australia he has only 12 wickets at 61.00 with a Strike Rate of 109.7. Yet Australia has bouncy pitches that normally favour leg-spin.

So, what are we to make of Abdul Qadir? I for one am confused.

 

[Spikey]

why can't he be in the middle

 

[Dan]

why can't he be in the middle

This.

Cricket is not a sport of simple dichotomies, it is far more nuanced than that. He could be very good one day, average the next, and significantly below par not long after. And then he'd bowl a fantastic delivery out of nowhere and make the world's best batsmen look like fools.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

If it wasn't for Warne who came just after him he would be rated a lot higher than he is now. Class act, yes he was in and out but there aren't many Pakistan bowlers who aren't. Seems part of their make up.

 

[weldone]

Neither of the two.

A very good legspinner with good varieties - arguably the best legspinner ever from Pakistan...but definitely short in achievement compared to someone like Anil Kumble, for example.

 

[smash84]

probably the legspinner with the most variety ever

However, as flibbertyjibber mentions he was quite quite hot and cold. Not really much consistent and nowhere near as accurate as Warne.

More famous because of his variety than control

 

[smash84]

Abdul Qadir. Genius or enigmatic flop?

If you were to observe Qadir bowl for any length of time then you'd have to conclude genius;

*GENIUS* ABDUL QADIR - THE LEGEND - A COMPILATION OF HIS BEST BOWLING - YouTube

I especially liked watching the 'wrongun' during the opening seconds of Robelinda's Youtube video that cleaned up Kim Hughes (WACA,1983?).

However, his figures just don't back up his obvious skills. 236 wickets at 32.80 with a Strike Rate of 72.5 is quite ordinary. What's more, these numbers only appear OK because of his good record at home. Qadir's away record is very disappointing . For example, in Australia he has only 12 wickets at 61.00 with a Strike Rate of 109.7. Yet Australia has bouncy pitches that normally favour leg-spin.

So, what are we to make of Abdul Qadir? I for one am confused.

and yes....he probably had the best googly ever

 

[fredfertang]

He had a bigger reputation than he might otherwise have had because it did look for most of his career like he would be the last of his line - he was a class act though - I used to love watching him bowl

 

[watson]

probably the legspinner with the most variety ever

However, as flibbertyjibber mentions he was quite quite hot and cold. Not really much consistent and nowhere near as accurate as Warne.

More famous because of his variety than control

I think that smalishah84 has hit the nail on the head. The reason that Qadir was less successful than the likes of Warne and Kumble was his lack of accuracy. So while his variety of deliveries made him an unpredictable genius his lack of control meant that he finished up as Mr. Average.

Would I put him in some kind of ATG team though? Mmnnmm yes, probably. Firstly, because he is more entertaining than someone like Kumble, and secondly, because he has the necessary quirkiness to bowl out world class batsmen.

 

[watson]

He had a bigger reputation than he might otherwise have had because it did look for most of his career like he would be the last of his line - he was a class act though - I used to love watching him bowl

Agreed!

 

[Agent Nationaux]

A true showman. Love the way he skips and glides to the wicket and then releases the ball with a great action.

 

[bagapath]

He had a bigger reputation than he might otherwise have had because it did look for most of his career like he would be the last of his line - he was a class act though - I used to love watching him bowl

also because he was very successful against england and since english cricket journalism built or broke reputations those days, he was deemed a magician by those from certain parts of the cricketing world while the folks from the remaining parts, like india, didnt rate him highly.

i loved his style, aggression and the awesome spin he imparted on the ball

 

[Migara]

If it wasn't for Warne who came just after him he would be rated a lot higher than he is now. Class act, yes he was in and out but there aren't many Pakistan bowlers who aren't. Seems part of their make up.

Kumble?

 

[Arachnodouche]

^^Kumble,as much as the current setup would give to have another like him right now, was far from imposing outside India, once ppl figured him out and started playing him in the V like a medium pacer. I can't remember the no. of times in the middle part of his career that I'd be clutching my hair in frustration at his inability to change matches abroad. He improved slightly towards the end with varied crease-use, changes in pace, the badly disguised googly...basically, he won us matches at home and did little more than contain outside.

 

[Z-Man]

^^Kumble,as much as the current setup would give to have another like him right now, was far from imposing outside India, once ppl figured him out and started playing him in the V like a medium pacer. I can't remember the no. of times in the middle part of his career that I'd be clutching my hair in frustration at his inability to change matches abroad. He improved slightly towards the end with varied crease-use, changes in pace, the badly disguised googly...basically, he won us matches at home and did little more than contain outside.

Story of every Indian cricketer.

 

[slowfinger]

Qadir... It is a conundrum... Rate him on his figures (what the majority of CW'ers would do) or watch his extra-ordinary deliveries that bamboozled the best...

I blame CW for such a question.

 

[mahmoodsani]

i think he was a genious ........for me he had the best googly ever .........i just cant judge his googly

 

[Dan]

Qadir... It is a conundrum... Rate him on his figures (what the majority of CW'ers would do) or watch his extra-ordinary deliveries that bamboozled the best...

I blame CW for such a question.

Or rate him on both and plonk him in the middle

He had the bamboozling qualities of a Warne, Muralitharan and the variations of a Grimmett, without the accuracy of any of the above. To rate him either purely on his stats, or purely on his visuals would be unfair.