Legendary Dunedin cricket coach Billy Ibadulla dies

The former Pakistan test player, who immigrated to New Zealand in 1976, was 88 when he died on Friday, Cricinfo reported.

Ibadulla is best known for helping foster the careers of Otago greats Glenn Turner, Ken Rutherford and Brendon McCullum, but hundreds of talented cricketers passed through his school of excellence over three decades.

He famously took a gin and tonic out to the middle of the ground when Turner, his greatest student, scored his 100th first-class century in 1982.

Ibadulla had liked what he had seen in Turner, a wiry but immensely focused cricketer, as a schoolboy and encouraged the future New Zealand and Worcestershire star to pursue his craft in England.

Ibadulla first came to Dunedin in 1964 to play for and coach Otago.

A right-hand batter and handy right-arm offspinner, he smashed a stunning 166 on test debut against Australia in Karachi, and scored 253 runs in four tests for his native Pakistan.

His greatest success as a player came in English country cricket.

He played for Warwickshire 439 times across an 18-year span, scoring 14,766 runs and claiming 418 wickets in first-class cricket.

‘‘He was a special cricketer, one of the greatest, and we had lots of fun times together,’’

Warwickshire president and former English batter Dennis Amiss said yesterday.

‘‘He had an infectious laugh. I can hear it now. He was a lovely team man, on and off the field.

Intelligent, warm, and a wonderful cricketer.

“He had all the attributes and a wonderful track record in the game. We’ve lost one of the greats. I’ll always remember him.”

Ibadulla, born Khalid Ibadulla in Lahore in what was then British India, also worked in television commentary, and he coached well into his 70s.

His son, Kassem, played a handful of games for Otago.

An obituary will follow.