Proteas legend Shaun Pollock inducted into ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

13 November 2021 - 13:18
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Shaun Pollock during the first Womens T20 International match between the Proteas and Pakistan Women at Kingsmead in Durban on January 29 2021.
Shaun Pollock during the first Womens T20 International match between the Proteas and Pakistan Women at Kingsmead in Durban on January 29 2021.
Image: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images

Former Proteas captain Shaun Pollock has been inducted into the prestigious ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Saturday that Pollock, Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene and former England women’s batting great Janette Brittin are the newest inductees into the Hall of Fame.

Pollock, and Brittin will be formally inducted by fellow ICC Hall of Famer Sir Clive Lloyd before the start of T20 World Cup between New Zealand and Australia on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium.

The Cricket Hall of Fame recognises the achievements of legends of the game from cricket’s long and illustrious history and 106 players have been inducted since its launch in 2009.

Pollock, and Brittin played in 284 Tests, 814 ODIs and 67 T20s between them.

Pollock was one of the finest bowling all-rounders the game has seen and was the first player to achieve the 3,000-run and 300-wicket doubles in both Test and ODI cricket.

Brittin was a mainstay of the England Test team for 19 years and helped pave the way for women’s cricket between 1979 and 1998.  

Jayawardene retired as one of Sri Lanka’s greatest players and was a key member of the team that won the T20 World Cup in 2014 and reached four other major ICC finals.

“The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is our way of honouring and celebrating the greats of our game,” said ICC acting CEO Geoff Allardice.

“Only the very best players are recognised for their contribution to cricket in this way. I would like to congratulate Mahela and Shaun on their induction into this illustrious group and it is a wonderful way to commemorate Janette’s life and career.”

Reacting to the news, Pollock said: “I would like to thank the ICC for this recognition of my career. It’s an amazing honour to be included in the Hall of Fame alongside the very illustrious company that has already been inducted.

“It’s a real cherry on the top or maybe even a book end of what has been a thoroughly enjoyable cricketing experience and I’d like to thank my teammates who played such a huge part along the journey.”

Jayawardene said: “I am thrilled to have been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. It’s a very special honour to follow in the footsteps of legends 'Sanga' [Kumar Sangakkara] and 'Murali' [Muttiah Muralitharan] from Sri Lanka and so many other great cricketers of the past.”

Shaun Pollock’s Career Highlights

  • The first player to achieve the 3,000-run/300-wicket double in both Test and ODI cricket
  • Remains SA’s leading wicket-taker in all international cricket
  • Took 5-32 against England at Cape Town in his first Test series and followed up with the double of 66 not out and 4-34 in his first ODI
  • In 108 Tests, scored 3,781 runs at an average of 32.31, and took 421 wickets
  • Played in 303 ODIs, scoring 3,519 runs at 26.45 and took 393 wickets
  • Scored 86 runs in 12 T20Is, taking 15 wickets.
  • Spent more than five years as the top-ranked ODI bowler in the ICC’s rankings
  • As captain, led SA to their first Test series victory in the Caribbean

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