00:00Cricket has given us many unforgettable moments, where skill, patience and determination combine
00:06to create history.
00:07Among these timeless memories stands the brilliance of Pakistan's left-arm spinner Iqbal Qasim.
00:13Known for his subtle variation and nagging accuracy, Qasim was a master at weaving pressure
00:19on best man, often breaking partnership at crucial stages.
00:23In this rare footage, we revisit the third test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
00:27in December 1981.
00:30When Pakistan faced Australia, it was a contest that showcased the true art of spin-balling.
00:35In the first inning, Iqbal Qasim bowled, tirelessly sending down 55 overs, including 17 mid-ins,
00:42and claimed three wickets for 104 runs.
00:44His spell was a testament to endurance and control, gradually wearing down the Australian batting
00:50order.
00:51But it was in the second innings where Iqbal Qasim truly stamped his authority.
00:55With Australia under pressure, he delivered a spell of sheer brilliance, 24 overs 11 mid-ins,
01:00and four wickets for just 44 runs.
01:03His spin gripped the surface.
01:05His accuracy suffocated the past man and his guile-forced mistakes.
01:09The Aussies had no escape from his web.
01:12Thanks to his effort, Pakistan crossed Australia by an innings and 82 runs, a famous victory
01:17etched in the cricketing history.
01:19The match remains a glowing chapter in Pakistan proud traditions of spin-balling.
01:26Here's Iqbal Qasim now bowling to Bruce Laird, and Laird plays right across the line, and
01:32just once too often.
01:33I'm sure there's a big appeal, and that must be gone, yes he's out, LBW.
01:39Laird going for the pull shot there, which on a pitch like this one is a bad mistake.
01:45And that one keeping just a little bit low, missing the bat, and struck right in front
01:50of the wickets.
01:51And so Qasim makes the breakthrough.
01:53And they're going for the pull, that ball keeping a little low, and he hit over the top of
01:58it, and out Plum LBW.
02:01So finally the breakthrough has come, and it's 75 for one.
02:11Iqbal has a magnificent record, reached 3370 guest matches, highest score of 247 and a batting
02:22average of 55.
02:23It's a good ball by Qasim with Chappell, just a little bit tentative on the front foot there,
02:3219 centuries and 28 half centuries, 5,948 runs, what a record.
02:43Oh, that's a good ball, my goodness.
02:45Chappell beaten there by flight.
02:47It was good bowling by Qasim.
02:50That was a beautiful delivery, beaten through the air, and it turned also, but he had his
02:55foot in the crease, and Barry not taking the ball well.
02:59I suspected he was in trouble, and Barry, what's the back foot, the back foot just outside,
03:05and Barry fumbling the ball there, well that was a clear opportunity for a stumping, and
03:10Greg Chappell would have been out for naught, have Barry taken that ball and lifted the bales.
03:18Iqbal Qasim bowls now to Alan Borda, and here's an error from Graham Wood that will have given
03:24him a sleepless night.
03:26Well, it's Chappell run out, the ball was in, I suppose, there, and once again, Graham
03:33Wood involved in a run out, we're over here.
03:37An elementary mistake, Alan Borda departs, run out by half the length of the pitch after
03:46this episode, pushed away on the offside, off the pad, barely thinking of a run, Wood
03:51coming through like an express train, Borda saying no, and Borda being the slow goods train
03:59that fails to make the sidings.
04:01Now that was a tragedy, Borda would fire a spin, he was on the back foot as he fired
04:06the ball to a backward point.
04:08It was Wood's call, but certainly was never one on as far as Alan Borda was concerned.
04:17Borda playing the ball off his pad, hesitates, says go back.
04:22Alan Borda comes through, he was backing up, he's safe, Borda running to the danger end,
04:27is well out, and look at Wood, he doesn't even look round now at Alan Borda, he just throws
04:32his head to one side, turns around, and the only thing he can see is the back of Borda departing
04:38for the football, and the three for 127, and 71, Iqbal Kazim, is now starting his 31st over,
04:54it's one for 57, it's well unchanged, other than the breaks for the close of play and lunch.
05:08And Hughes has quietened down a little in the last few overs.
05:27And he's gone, didn't quite get over it, Iqbal deserved that wicket.
05:35He's just coming down a drive, the ball's a little straighter than some of the other
05:38shoes has driven, and he's out now for 34, Kortenbald Iqbal Kazim.
05:42Just enough turn there, the catch taken quite safely, the baller going down to it, and it's
05:52four for 173.
05:57It almost exclusively from this northern end.
06:03Yardley faces Iqbal Kazim now, and Yardley obviously didn't find this shot in any batting
06:09manual.
06:10Goal to him, and then comes back with the arm.
06:16And Yardley paying the penalty there for the stroke that should never be played on a pitch
06:21like this.
06:22Cut, the ball coming in from outside off stump.
06:25Yardley had tried this several times against Basim Rajar, and been lucky to get away with
06:29it because the ball was far too close to his off stump.
06:32At that time the delivery was even close to the off stump, Yardley attempting the overambitious
06:36cut, paid the penalty.
06:38He's out for a valiant twenty, and Australia have slumped to seven for 286.
06:44The lead for a hundred against his name, John Tomson.
06:57Only the one there.
06:59Well, what will Alderman's instructions be?
07:03There's men coming in from, or the lead mid-off is coming in.
07:16And Kahn has gone in to a more ordinary mid-off, and he's also signalled Zaheer at mid-on
07:23to come in.
07:25And Alderman's away with the single.
07:31So does Thompson look at the single off the last ball now?
07:37That's the one coming up.
07:39And he's asking the umpire how many balls to go.
07:43I'm not sure if we've got an answer.
07:50What?
07:51Well played.
07:54And he's going to pick up two.
08:04That's the end of the over nine for 292.
08:08Call Cassine to resume the attack.
08:13Oh, and that turned.
08:17Turned quickly and beat the outside edge of the bat.
08:20Pitching almost perfectly in line with Ofstar.
08:23And in fact, that ball knocked a little piece up of the wicket.
08:27Just as it pitched in there, it's been knocked down.
08:30If you just watch closely at the replay, you'll notice that as the ball pitched, a little piece was knocked up.
08:40There it is.
08:41And, uh, perfect length, just outside Ofstump.
08:45So that's the edge of one of those cracks now, which is beginning to come loose.
08:48And, uh, that's in a very interesting place too, because it's almost dead in line with Ofstump, which suggests that the batsman is going to have to play.
08:56And, of course, you saw the batsman there with the handle of his bat just knocking it back in.
09:02It really was a nasty crack.
09:05And that's been one of the causes of the fall of the Australian wickets today.
09:10And he'll be looking for that little spot again.
09:16The ball pitched and, in fact, knocked a piece of the turf up.
09:21It was around about that spot.
09:27And really tough at Miranda's there.
09:30Had, shall we say, mixed reactions.
09:32That really carried him, I think.
09:34Let's have a look, see if the ball carried, did carry it.
09:37Meandert put it down, he was exasperated.
09:40And in desperation, he threw it at the bowler's end, helping to run the batsman backing up out.
09:46Yes, that was certainly a chance.
09:48Meandert juggling away with the ball.
09:51And, uh, he was upset that he dropped it.
09:53The ball turned off the outside edge, went to Jarvis very quickly, hit the right hand, bobbled around, and eventually hit the ground.
10:01So, a clear opportunity there.
10:02This game's seen some unusual dismissals, but, uh, there won't be one to better this for novelty.
10:11Oh, that might be out. That was off the boot of the wicketkeeper. He's given him out, too. Yes.
10:15That's a very good decision, that by umpire Baylash, that ball deflected off the bat, down onto the wicketkeeper's boot and up into Magid's hands.
10:23A great decision, but an extremely bad piece of luck for Kim Hughes. Look at this. He's letting the ball go.
10:34The ball hits the toe of the bat, hits the toe of the keeper. From there it goes up to the first slip position where Magid takes the catch.
10:42How unlucky can you be?
10:43You might see a little bit from this end. Have a look at the ball. Off the toe, Hughes just trying to take his bat away, hits the toe, up in the air, and taken by Magid, who I don't think thought it was out.
10:54Job at me and dad wasn't, uh, too long to decide it was out, and what a magnificent decision that was by umpire Baylash.
11:00And very bad luck for Kim Hughes. Four, four, twenty-nine.
11:08Iqbal Kazim rolling to Dirk Wellham.
11:20Two more to Wadham.
11:22Two, seven, three.
11:26Iqbal Kazim to Laird.
11:28Iqbal Kazim to Laird.
11:31And that's down the ground and out.
11:34Well, that one hit in the air and really Laird, for some reason, decided to try and hit that ball down the ground.
11:40Perhaps it turned just a little bit and hit it straight to Safras.
11:43Well, Safras would be pretty happy to have taken that catch, because he made a mess of one in the first innings.
11:48And that was straight to him, and he didn't make a mistake.
11:51That's a flight of delivery, and Laird not to the pit of it.
11:56Lops it, and Safras making a simple effort look great.
12:02Diving over, but Laird is back in the pavilion, and a good breakthrough for Pakistan.
12:07And the score, 5-4-76.
12:12And that is out, caught behind.
12:16Don't think Ily's too pleased about it.
12:20Don't think he's pleased about it at all.
12:22The ball, umpire Dick French is getting him out, caught Rosimbari.
12:28Oh, Iqbal Kazim's following.
12:30And he finishes Dennis Lillie's appearance at the crease.
12:33Very frustrating game for him.
12:35Thought he was going to break the record.
12:37And that outside edge, Dick French upholding the appeal.
12:42Caught behind, just plots forward.
12:44Changed his line, went over the wicket.
12:46And a very confident appeal.
12:48So, Kazim, he's third wicket.
12:53And Australia 8 for there, in the snock.
13:02And that's all he's going to make.
13:04That cry of anguish there was because he knew he'd hit it to Merson Khan.
13:09A little bit of extra bounce there.
13:12And Rodney Marsh has clubbed it straight to the man at point.
13:15The only man out there with a chance of catching.
13:18Merson Khan took a great catch yesterday to get rid of Graham Wood.
13:22And then quite a good catch also.
13:25But the one part was that it wasn't going to carry and he had to come forward.
13:29And lunging and grabbing it, falling and holding onto it.
13:32Which was the important thing to do.
13:34So, good catch by Merson Khan.
13:36Exit Rodney Marsh.
13:38He's out for 21 and now a straight out 9 for 121.
13:41This performance by Iqbal Qasim was not just about numbers.
13:47It was about character, resilience and artistry.
13:50It reminded the world that spin-balling, when mastered, could turn the course of a match even on foreign soils.
13:56Iqbal Qasim may not always be spoken of in the same breath as some of the more celebrated names.
14:03But his role in Pakistan cricketing success was immense.
14:06A man of quiet demeanor, he let his body do the talking.
14:10Steady, disciplined and effective.
14:12Performances like Ed won at the MCG in 1981.
14:16Endured that his legacy will always remain a part of Pakistan's golden cricketing memories.
14:20If you like this video, please comment, share and subscribe. Thank you very much.
Comments