Pakistan iconic spinner Abdul Qadir, West Indies batting legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul and England’s multiple-time Women’s World Cup-winning captain Charlotte Edwards have become the latest additions to the ICC Hall of Fame. The three cricketers were inducted following a voting process that included the existing Hall of Famers, m edia representatives plus senior executives from FICA and the ICC, the world cricket body said on Tuesday.
Considered one of the greatest spinners to have played the game of cricket, Abdul Qadir represented Pakistan in 67 Tests and 104 ODIs and took 236 and 132 wickets respectively in his 13-year career span. Post his retirement, Qadir also mentored fellow countrymen Mushtaq Ahmed, Danish Kaneria and Shahid Afridi, as well as Australia’s Shane Warne and South Africa’s Imran Tahir.
As Qadir is no more, his son Usman Qadir thanked ICC on his behalf saying it was an honour for the family to hear this news. “It is a very big honour for the family to hear of this news, we see it as a huge achievement, and one that my father would be very proud of if he was still with us today,” said Usman Qadir who also represents Pakistan and bowls leg-spin.
Meanwhile, Chanderpaul and Edwards were rewarded for their huge contributions to the growth of cricket in the respective countries they represented. Eighth on the list of all time Test runs, Chanderpaul holds the record of seven half-centuries in consecutive Test innings. Meanwhile, Edwards won the Women’s World Cup in 2009 and the T20 World Cup the same year and represented her country for almost two decades before calling it quits.
“I would like to enjoy the moment with family, friends and most importantly the West Indies cricket fans and fans around the world who passionately supported me throughout my career,” said Chanderpaul post his induction. He represented West Indies in 164 Tests and 268 ODIs.
“I loved every minute of my international career and I’m absolutely delighted to be inducted into to the ICC Hall of Fame,” Edwards, who retired in 2016 as the leading female runscorer in both ODIs and T20Is, said.
