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.

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