Sachin Tendulkar, Allan Donald inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame

Sachin Tendulkar, Allan Donald inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame along with the former Australian Women Cricketer Cathryn Fitzptrick

Indian batting legend, the Master Blaster- Sachin Tendulkar has become the sixth Indian to be inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame.

Alongside Tendulkar, former South African fast bowling legend- Allan Donald and the two-time Australian World Champion, Cathryn Fitzpatrick have also received the prized honour, as announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday.

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It is an honour to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, which cherishes the contribution of cricketers over generations. They have all contributed to the growth and popularity of the game and I am happy to have done my bit,” Sachin Tendulkar said at the induction ceremony held in London.

 Tendulkar inducted immediately after becoming eligible for induction

The Master Blaster was inducted immediately after becoming eligible for induction. The eligibility criteria requires a player to have played his last international match at least five years before.

Tendulkar, who retired in the year 2013, has amassed a total of 15, 921 runs in Tests and 18, 426 runs in ODIs in 200 and 463 matches respectively. Moreover, he is the only individual in the Cricketing history to have smashed a total of hundred International centuries across all formats.

“I am also thankful to all my captains, fellow players and the BCCI and the MCA administrators over the years for their support and for making me enjoy the game so much and for so long. I thank the ICC for this appreciation of my cricket career and I am happy to note that cricket continues to grow with three popular formats”, Tendulkar further added.  He is the sixth Indian to be part of the ICC’s Hall of Fame, following Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid.

Allan Donald too is one of the all-time greats to have played the game of Cricket. The Proteas legend is first bowler from the side to take 300 Test wickets and 200 ODI wickets. Donald ended with a wickets tally of 602 wickets in an international career that spanned more than a decade.

Fitzpatrick- the eighth woman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame

Fitzpatrick- who became the eighth woman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, was the fastest bowler in women’s cricket over the course of her 16-year international career.

Fitzpatrick helped Australia lift two Women’s World Cups – in 1997 and 2005 – and was coach of the side between May 2012 and May 2015, in which time Australia Women won a World Cup and two World T20 titles.

“To gain recognition alongside many of the games’ giants is a huge honour. I look at the list of past inductees and what stands out most is not only their outstanding talent, but that they were game changers. They took the game on and changed the way it was played”, said Fitzpatrick post receiving the honour.