ICC Hall of Fame: Jacques Kallis, Zaheer Abbas and Lisa Sthalekar form Class of 2020

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.

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.

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.

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.





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