Thousands attend funeral of Abdul Qadir

Thousands of mourners, including cricketers and government officials, on Saturday (September 7) attended the funeral of Pakistan cricket great Abdul Qadir, who died at the age of 63 a day earlier. Pakistani media reported that he died of cardiac arrest. Qadir revived the art of leg-spin bowling. Qadir made his Pakistan debut in 1977 in Lahore and went on to play 67 tests and 104 one-day internationals, claiming a total of 368 wickets. Among those who attended the funeral were several who learned to play cricket from his Academy in Lahore. Mourners called his death a great loss for Pakistan and cricket world. Qadir was an influential figure in Pakistan's most successful teams in the 1980s and later a mentor to the next generation of leg-spinners, including Australia's Shane Warne and Pakistan's Mushtaq Ahmed. Renowned for his fairly long run-up and unique bowling action, Qadir was almost unplayable on pitches in Pakistan and one of the favorites of former captain Imran Khan -- now the country's Prime Minister. Qadir reserved his finest performances for England and his spell of 9-56 in Lahore in 1987 is still the best by a Pakistan bowler in Test innings. After retiring from the sport, he served as the chief selector for Pakistan.