In an announcement today, International Cricket Council (ICC) inducted their 91st, 92nd, and 93rd members in the form of Jacques Kallis, Lisa Sthalekar, and Zaheer Abbas. ICC’s announcement was made through their social media channels today.
The South African great, Jacques Kallis, is an icon of the game, and arguably, the greatest all-rounder there ever was and probably, will ever be. In an illustrious career, Kallis surmounted a mammoth total of 13,289 runs in Test and 11,579 runs in ODI’s, with a Test average of 55.37. Anyone who ended their career with more than 10,000 runs in both formats is a strong contender for the Hall of Fame. However, this was just the first dimension in his game.
Kallis had another ace up his sleeve – his pace bowling. In both the formats, Kallis has claimed 250 wickets and bowling with the likes of Shaun Pollock and Alan Donald, he was a brilliant first change bowler. Probably, the most complete player of the game, Jacques Kallis, finds himself in worthy company.
The legend in the men’s format was joined by a legend in the women’s game – Lisa Sthalekar. The 4-time World Cup winner, Sthalekar, became the 27th Australian to be inducted in the prestigious Hall of Fame. Playing a crucial part in the Australian setup throughout her career, Lisa scored 3,913 runs – backing it up with 229 wickets.
The Hall of Fame saw representation for the women’s game for the first time in 2010. Rachael Heyhoe Flint, the English World Cup-winning captain of 1973, was the first woman to be inducted on this list. Lisa Sthalekar became the ninth woman in the Hall of Fame, and the 5th Australian women.
JUST IN:
ICC Hall of Fame 2020: The first woman to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in ODI cricket – LISA STHALEKAR is the next inductee to the ICC Hall of Fame.
Many congratulations @sthalekar93 😍🎉 pic.twitter.com/wD6Bxab3ko
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) August 23, 2020
In her career spanning across 125 ODI’s and 54 T20I’s for the baggy greens, the 41-year old won the Belinda Clark Medal back-to-back in 2007 and 2008. This honor is bestowed upon Australia’s best women’s cricketer in the calendar year. The saga of Lisa Sthalekar has reached its’ rightful destination joining the likes of Belinda Clark, Betty Wilson, and Sachin Tendulkar, to name just a few.
Speaking about her induction, Lisa Sthalekar said, “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 team-mates along the way kept me focused but also ensured that it was a fun environment.”
Joining her was Pakistani batting great, Zaheer Abbas. In an illustrious career, probably shorter than the cricket fan would have hoped, Abbas has 78 Test and 62 ODI caps – averaging over 40 in both the formats. The right-handed batsman was the first player to score 5 consecutive centuries and the only Asian to score 100 first-class 100’s.
All the 9 Female Cricketers inducted into ICC’s Hall of Fame (Year wise)
List of all the 9 Female Cricketers inducted into ICC’s Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/MwzV5Fn3R9
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) August 23, 2020
Loves all things female cricket