Hyderabad: Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis, former Australian women's captain Lisa Sthalekar and former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas were on Sunday inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame.
The ceremony was held virtually and featured Sunil Gavaskar, Mel Jones and Shaun Pollock as the main guests while Wasim Akram, Graeme Smith and Alyssa Healy also joined in to congratulate the inductees. It was hosted by commentator Alan Wilkins.
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.
ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney congratulated all three inductees.
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💫 ICC Hall of Fame Class of 2020 💫
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
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👤❓ pic.twitter.com/iiqB03cAJY
">💫 ICC Hall of Fame Class of 2020 💫
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
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👤❓ pic.twitter.com/iiqB03cAJY💫 ICC Hall of Fame Class of 2020 💫
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
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"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," Sawhney said in a statement.
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🌟 ICC Hall of Fame 2020: Jacques Kallis 🇿🇦
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
🔥 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 Hall of Fame 2020: Jacques Kallis 🇿🇦
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
🔥 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 Hall of Fame 2020: Jacques Kallis 🇿🇦
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
🔥 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
Kallis, who is the only player to score at least 10,000 runs and take at least 250 wickets in both Test and ODI cricket, said: "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.
"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," Kallis said.
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🌟 ICC Hall of Fame 2020: Lisa Sthalekar 🇦🇺
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
🏆 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 wickets
A true ambassador of the game! pic.twitter.com/Qt3ZKVH11f
">🌟 ICC Hall of Fame 2020: Lisa Sthalekar 🇦🇺
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
🏆 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 wickets
A true ambassador of the game! pic.twitter.com/Qt3ZKVH11f🌟 ICC Hall of Fame 2020: Lisa Sthalekar 🇦🇺
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
🏆 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 wickets
A true ambassador of the game! pic.twitter.com/Qt3ZKVH11f
Sthalekar, the first woman to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in ODI cricket, said she is "deeply humbled" to receive this honour. Also, she was a part of the Australia teams that won the ICC Women's World Cup in 2005 and 2013 and ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2010 and 2012.
"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."
"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," said Sthalekar.
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🌟 ICC Hall of Fame 2020: Zaheer Abbas 🇵🇰
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
💪 Nicknamed ‘Run Machine’ for his big scores
🔥 First batsman to score 5x💯 in successive internationals
👏 Only Asian batsman to score 100 first-class centuries
An icon of the sport! pic.twitter.com/SQ8FvEta9g
">🌟 ICC Hall of Fame 2020: Zaheer Abbas 🇵🇰
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
💪 Nicknamed ‘Run Machine’ for his big scores
🔥 First batsman to score 5x💯 in successive internationals
👏 Only Asian batsman to score 100 first-class centuries
An icon of the sport! pic.twitter.com/SQ8FvEta9g🌟 ICC Hall of Fame 2020: Zaheer Abbas 🇵🇰
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
💪 Nicknamed ‘Run Machine’ for his big scores
🔥 First batsman to score 5x💯 in successive internationals
👏 Only Asian batsman to score 100 first-class centuries
An icon of the sport! pic.twitter.com/SQ8FvEta9g
"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."
Abbas is the only player from Asia to have scored at least a 100 first-class hundreds and has scored two centuries in the same first-class match on a record eight occasions. He said, "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.
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🌟 Jacques Kallis
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
🌟 Lisa Sthalekar
🌟 Zaheer Abbas
The 2020 #ICCHallOfFame inductees 👏 https://t.co/Pa5TQEvk2C
">🌟 Jacques Kallis
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
🌟 Lisa Sthalekar
🌟 Zaheer Abbas
The 2020 #ICCHallOfFame inductees 👏 https://t.co/Pa5TQEvk2C🌟 Jacques Kallis
— ICC (@ICC) August 23, 2020
🌟 Lisa Sthalekar
🌟 Zaheer Abbas
The 2020 #ICCHallOfFame inductees 👏 https://t.co/Pa5TQEvk2C
Abbas meanwhile thanked the Pakistan cricket fraternity, fans and his county side Gloucestershire for helping play the game at the highest level.
"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. This great game has made me the person I am. Thank you cricket," he said.
