Masterly exhibition of left arm spin bowling was the key 10 India’s S6run win over Australia which lifted them to the top of group for the first time while wrist spinner ‘Abdul Qadir’s nine wickets have helped Pakistan dominate Group B.
It would be no surprise if India and Pakistan were to win through to the final in Calcutta and if the game were dominated by either Maninder or Qadir, or both.
Maninder Singh has much in common with Bedi. Both are Sikhs, both bowl left arm and, just like Bedi, ‘Maninder wears Just the hint of a smile as he torments and teases his prey.
It was not surprising; therefore, that the most interesting assessment of Maninder’s bowling against Australia ‘came from Bedi. “His snaring of such experienced scalps as Marsh, Border and Jones was a classic example of reaping a good harvest by tossing the ball up, even in one day cricket,” said Bedi, “That to my mind is the only ‘way a spinner can hang on to his own identity”.
‘A spinner has taken four or more wickets in a match only four times in 73 World Cup games since 1973 and ‘on three of these occasions, the bowler ‘was Qadir. In 1983 he took four for21 against New Zealand and five for 44 against Sri Lanka and then 10 days ago bowled England to defeat with four for 31 in Rawalpindi.
Qadir is the only wrist spinner (the action required to turn the ball away from a right-handed batsman) in the ‘World who can hold down a regular test place, Bowlers of this type can dismiss good batsman on the flattest of pitchers but, because of the awkward delivery, can also be very expensive.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 30, 1987
