ICC induct Jacques Kallis, Zaheer Abbas, Lisa Sthalekar in Cricket Hall of Fame
The International Cricket Council inducted three former greats of the game, Jacques Kallis, Zaheer Abbas and Lisa Sthalekar into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame earlier today in an online broadcast accessed all around the World. The broadcast, hosted by commentator and presenter Alan Wilkins, featured other former greats such as Sunil Gavaskar, Shaun Pollock and Melanie Jones as the main guests and had Wasim Akram, Graeme Smith and Alyssa Healy join in to congratulate and appreciate the 2020 inductees.
Kallis is the fourth South African player inducted and Zaheer the sixth from Pakistan. Lisa is the 27th from Australia and the ninth woman player in the list, which includes five from Australia. In all, 93 players have been inducted so far under the system, which sees retired players become eligible five years after playing their last international match.
Former ICC Cricket Hall of Famers formed the majority of the adjudicating panel with representation from the media, ICC and Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA).
ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said, “It is always a pleasure to announce the latest set of inductees into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. These are all players with a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations for years to come. I congratulate Zaheer, Jacques and Lisa on their inclusion in the pantheon of cricket greats.”
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This was what the three inductees had to say.
Jacques Kallis: “It’s a great honour to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. It is something that I never expected when I started playing. I certainly did not play the game for any accolades or anything like that, I only wanted to win the games for whoever I was playing for.
“But it is nice to be recognised when one has succeeded in the sport, it is nice to be recognised by people for something that you have achieved in the game, something that I am really proud of.”
Jacques Kallis scored 45 Test hundreds, the second most after Sachin Tendulkar (51)
Zaheer Abbas: “I feel privileged and truly humbled to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame of the class of 2020. I am excited to be in the midst of other illustrious cricketers.
“I would like to say a special thanks to my family, my country Pakistan, my county Gloucestershire and many fans worldwide who helped me achieve and fulfil my dreams by playing this great game at the highest level. Thank you, ICC, and the members of the jury, for this special honour. It is a final recognition for any cricketer.
“This great game has made me the person I am. Thank you cricket.”
Lisa Sthalekar: “I am deeply humbled to receive this honour. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that I would ever get to join such an illustrious group of players.
“I was fortunate enough to learn from the best when I entered the Australia team – Belinda Clark, Karen Rolton and Cathryn Fitzpatrick, all of whom have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and rightly so. The guidance from them and other teammates along the way kept me focused but also ensured that it was a fun environment. Thanks to all my teammates.
“It goes without saying that if it wasn’t for the support of my family, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have.”
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Jacques Kallis, one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, had the astonishing feat of over 10,000 Test runs, finishing as South Africa’s highest run-scorer in the format, the third highest overall, to go along with over 250 wickets with his fast bowling. So much was his dominance that he spent 13 years as the number 1 ranked ICC Test all-rounder. He was awarded the ICC Player of the year and the ICC Test Player of the year in 2005.
Zaheer Abbas has the distinguished record of being the only Asian Cricketer to have scored 100 first-class hundred. He scored his hundredth first-class century in a Test Match, becoming only the second player to do so. He was also an ODI great, considering the generation in which he played in. He became the first batsman to score three successive centuries in ODI cricket and spent 215 days as the No.1 ranked ODI batsman (1983-1984). Abbas had led Pakistan in 14 Test Matches, losing only one. Post retirement, he served as an ICC Match Referee and as ICC President.
Lisa Sthalekar also has had an illustrious Cricket career, a fact that is often overshadowed due to her popularity behind the mic. She became the first woman to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in ODI cricket, and spent 934 days as the No.1 ranked ODI all-rounder from 2007 to 2010. Over the course of her International career, topped both ODI batting and bowling rankings. She has been a serial winner with Australian Cricket, having being awarded the winners medal in the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2005 and 2013 and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2010 and 2012.