However, he only played three Test matches thereafter, instead embarking on a successful career with Warwickshire. He became one of the first Pakistanis to play county cricket after being overlooked for selection in Pakistan’s tour of England in 1954 (A.H. Calder played three seasons for Warwickshire when Pakistan were not full members, and Khan Mohammad played one game for Somerset). Unhappy, he went to England to forge a successful professional cricket career, playing for almost 18 seasons.
That included a key role in two limited-overs Cup titles in three years, taking 3-25 and scoring 28 in Warwickshire’s four-wicket win in the 1968 final.
After completing his county studies he became a coach at a school in England, a sign of things to come, and shortly after moving to New Zealand to play for Otago (and also play a few games for Tasmania, Australia) and also coach, he played a key role in the early development of one of New Zealand’s finest batsmen, Glenn Turner.
He ended a prolific first-class career scoring 17,078 runs at an average of 27.28 and taking 462 wickets at an average of 30.96. Of his 417 first-class matches, 377 were for Warwickshire, a team he played for over ten years.
“He was a special cricketer, one of the best and we had many great times together,” Warwickshire chairman Dennis Amis, who played with Ibadulla at club level, wrote in a tribute to his former team-mate. “He could be really mischievous and teasing at times but he gave back in return. He was much loved at Warwickshire.”
Ibadullah scored 829 runs and took 84 wickets in 64 List A matches, and also umpired in 20 first-class matches and 12 List A games, and ran private coaching clinics in New Zealand.
