The International Cricket Council on Sunday announced the latest inductees in ICC’s Hall of Fame – Jacques Kallis, Zaheer Abbas and Lisa Sthalekar. The retired legend will form the Class of 2020.
ICC made the announcement during a live show on social media which had Sunil Gavaskar, Melanie Jones and Shaun Pollock as the main guests while Wasim Akram, Graeme Smith and Alyssa Healy also played a part in congratulating the new inductees.
“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,” Kallis said.
ICC Hall of Fame 2020: Jacques Kallis
10,000 runs and 200 wickets in both Tests and ODIs
Record 23 Player of the Match awards in Tests
South Africa’s highest run-getter in Tests and ODIs
An all-round legend pic.twitter.com/5sDPlaCcQX— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
Kallis is the 4th South African player inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame while Zaheer the 6th from Pakistan. Lisa Sthalekar is the 27th from Australia and the 9th woman player in the list, which includes 5 from Australia.
“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,” Lisa Sthalekar said.
ICC Hall of Fame 2020: Lisa Sthalekar
ODI World Cup winner in 2005 & 2013
T20 World Cup winner in 2010 & 2012
First woman to achieve the ODI double of 1000 runs and 100 wicketsA true ambassador of the game! pic.twitter.com/Qt3ZKVH11f
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
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.
“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,” Zaheer Abbas said.
ICC Hall of Fame 2020: Zaheer Abbas
Nicknamed ‘Run Machine’ for his big scores
First batsman to score 5x in successive internationals
Only Asian batsman to score 100 first-class centuriesAn icon of the sport! pic.twitter.com/SQ8FvEta9g
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
Last year, Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar became the 6th Indian to be inducted in the Hall of Fame alongside former South Africa pacer Allan Donald and two-time World Cup-winning Australian woman cricketer Cathryn Fitzpatrick.