The Pakistan vs Australia Series will now be called the Benaud-Qadir Trophy, honoring the likes of Richie Benaud and Abdul Qadir.
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After the Ashes, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Chappell-Hadlee and Frank Worrell Trophy, there is a new addition in Trophy cabinets when it comes to series against Australia. Ahead of the three-Test series against Pakistan which will begin on March 4, the Pakistan vs Australia series will now be named the Benaud-Qadir Trophy. It is named in honour of Richie Benaud and Abdul Qadir. They are two of the greatest legspinners to have emerged from these two countries.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Australian skipper Pat Cummins unveiled the new trophy at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The trophy will be handed over to the winning side in Lahore. Incidentally, Lahore is the headquarters of Pakistan cricket. The third Test match will be played on March 19 to 23 at the Gaddafi stadium.
For the first half of the rivalry, the contests were pretty close between Pakistan and Australia. It was during the captaincy of Richie Benaud that Australia secured their first series win in 1959. They won the series 2-0. But, Pakistan dramatically turned the tide of the rivalry in their favour in the 1980s. This was thanks to Qadir. The Pakistan legspinner picked 33 wickets in six Tests during two tours made by Australia in 1982 and 1988.
Read More – Pakistan vs Australia Full Schedule and Itinerary
Benaud is considered one of the best captains and all-rounders in his era. He took 248 wickets and scored over 200 runs in 63 Tests. As captain, he never lost a series. On the other hand, Qadir was Pakistan’s maverick legspinner in the 80s. In 11 Tests against Australia, Qadir took 45 wickets at an average of 35. But, it was his exploits against England that stole the show.
He took 82 wickets, including 9/56 against England that ensured the Poms never got the better of Pakistan in the mid-80s.
The Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket Australia have hailed the move to rename the Pakistan vs Australia rivalry as Benaud Qadir Trophy. “There can be no better way to celebrate and mark the revival of Pakistan-Australia Tests. These two gentlemen remain a flavour of all eras and ages as their contributions towards cricket in general and wrist-spin bowling in particular are second to none,” PCB chief executive officer Faisal Hasnain said.
On the other hand, Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said, “This Test series is an exciting and historic occasion with Australia touring Pakistan for the first time in 24 years. Given that context, it is fitting that we can honour two genuine legends of the game, Richie Benaud and Abdul Qadir, by inaugurating a trophy the two sides will play for with those legendary names on it.”
