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If the searching on the world wide web reminds you of Google, then Googly in cricket must remind you of Abdul Qadir. The harbinger of leg spin bowling in the 70s and 80s, Abdul Qadir was a prolific bowler. He didnt merely bowled magic deliveries but also kept alight the flame of leg spin bowling, which had almost become obsolete.

Abdul Qadir was an amalgamation of talent, passion, aggression, intelligence, power and objectivity. His calculated and spot-on bowling baffled the world’s renowned batsmen many a time. That great leg spin bowler of all time played his first test against England at Lahore in December 1977 and then never looked back.

Pakistan’s cricket took a new turn with the induction of Abdul Qadir. His exuberance in the field electrified the players in the field and spectators in the stands. He was always a wicket taker and partnership broker. He was considered the most deadly weapon in the repertoire of any Pakistani skipper. His excellent record is the prove of his mastery over his skill.

He played 67 test matches and took 236 wickets with an average of 32. Fifteen times he took 5 wickets in a match, and five times he took 10 wickets a match. His best bowling was against England when he took 9 wickets in exchange of mere 56 runs. In the test matches he also scored some valuable runs. His top score was 61 against England in 1987/88 at Karachi, and he scored three half centuries. His total score in test matches is 1029 runs with an average of 16.

In One Day Internationals he also blasted the opponents. His bowling average was 26 and in his 104 ODIs he took 132 wickets. His best bowling in ODIs was 5/44. He also scored 641 runs in his all career. He played first-class cricket for twenty years, finishing with 960 wickets at the bowling average of 23.24. Qadir’s best first-class batting score was 112. His best first-class bowling figures were 9 for 49.

Abdul Qadir is famous for his googly bowling. His other lethal weapons included the orthodox leg-break, topspinner and flippers. His wrist-spin is still considered the best.

Abdul Qadir played his last ODI against Sri Lnka in 1993/94 against Srilanka at Sharjah, and his last test match was against West Indies at Lahore in 1990/91.