Iqbal Qasim

Iqbal Qasim was an orthodox left-arm spinner whose forte was control over his line and length. Besides taking the crucial wickets he was mostly very accurate and gave little away to create pressure in the ranks of the opposing teams.

Although he is remembered as the ‘Bangalore Hero’ for having scripted that famous win that helped Pakistan to record their only Test series victory on the Indian soil in 1986-87 he was also the saviour of the team on his Test debut against Australia at Adelaide in 1976-77 where he had hung with the bat on for hours to allow Asif Iqbal to turn it around with flurry of strokes.

He played in 50 Tests, claiming 171 wickets at 28.11. He, however, got limited opportunities in the shorter version of the game, getting to play in only 15 One-day Internationals. He played first-class cricket until 1992-93 while he last played for Pakistan in 1988-89.

He has remained actively involved with the administration of the game after hanging his boots. Besides being the chairman of the national selection committee he has held various other positions over the years. The 57-year-old Iqbal Qasim has been the executive incharge of the sports division of National Bank of Pakistan for a number of years.