Pakistani, Australian cricketers pay tributes to Richie Benaud, Abdul Qadir
Mar 05, 2022
Rawalpindi [Pakistan], March 5 : Pakistani and Australian cricketers paid tributes to the two legends Richie Benaud and Abdul Qadir for inspiring generations in cricket.
To celebrate Australia's first Test series in Pakistan in 24 years, the Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket Australia decided to name the Test series the Benaud-Qadir series, after legendary Australia all-rounder Richie Benaud and Pakistani leg-spinner Abdul Qadir.
"Richie, as an Australian is an icon, he was such a footprint on Australian cricket. Everything that he has done for the game is incredible," said Steve Smith in a video posted on Pakistan Cricket's official Twitter account.
"What a legend, he just loved cricket lived and breath in. He had done a lot for our country," said David Warner.
"He is a huge personality and he is also responsible for making lots of Australians fall in love with the game. He made Test cricket really special with the traditions and the history," stated Pat Cummins.
Pakistan's bowler Shah Masood recalled how he loved listening to Richie Benaud's commentary as a young cricketer. Apart from Masood, Azhar Ali and Shaheen Afridi also paid tribute to the two cricket legends.
"As a young cricketer, we watched cricket by listening to Richie's commentary and his commentary was something that made the match very exciting. Abdul Qadir a big name of Pakistan cricket, inspired the generations of leg-spinners which you can see today in Pakistan cricket. I think it's a perfect way to tribute these two legends," said Shah Masood.
"He was a big legend and also a motivation for us. I think it's a great initiative that we are remembering our legends," said Azhar Ali.
"He has done a lot for Pakistan. I think you learned from your legends and he is a role model for us," said Shaheen Afridi.
After the ongoing opening Test in Rawalpindi from March 4-8, the second Test will be held in Karachi from March 12-16, while the third will take place in Lahore from March 21-25.
