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Gavaskar, Kapil named in first ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
Indian cricketing legends figured among the 55 former players named on Friday in the ICC's inaugural Hall of Fame list as part of its centenary celebration
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: January 02, 2009 10:46 AM IST
Read Time:3 min
Sydney:
Launching the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame here, Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said the initiative, in association with Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA), would provide the chance for the game to recognise its greatest achievers.
"Given a key theme of the ICC's centenary year is celebrating the game's heritage then the foundation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is an entirely logical step," he said.
"It will provide a means of recognising the historical contribution of past players, officials and even institutions in making cricket what it is today, a great sport with a great spirit," he added.
Gavaskar expressed "humbled" to be named along with Sir Donald Bradman and Sir Garfield Sobers.
"To be recognised by the premier authority in the game, the ICC, and that, too, in its centenary year, is an honour indeed.
"It is a privilege and I am overwhelmed and humbled to be included in such august company as Sir Donald Bradman and the one and only Sir Garry Sobers," he said in a statement.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh became the first Hall of Famer to receive his commemorative cap from ICC President David Morgan.
"I'm deeply honoured to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Being recognised in this way is humbling, especially when I look at the names of the players in this list and think about those who will join it in the years to come," Marsh said.
"It (the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame) is another way of showing what a great history our game has and anything that does that has to be a good thing," Marsh said.
The career statistics and biographies of the 55 inductees can be found at the new ICC centenary website, also launched today, ww.catchthespirit.com.
Each year, starting 2009, new inductees will be announced during the LG ICC Awards ceremony. The initial inductees or, in the case of those who have passed away, their relatives will be presented with a commemorative ICC Cricket Hall of Fame cap at an appropriate stage during the ICC centenary year.
The living members of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame will also have the chance to choose new inductees.
"We have studied numerous Halls of Fame in other sports to see what works and what doesn't and how best we can achieve our goal, to recognise the game's greatest achievers.
"We want to ensure that as many of the game's stakeholders as possible, including current ICC Cricket Hall of Famers and members of the public, get the chance to have their say in the process of choosing the game's true legends," Lorgat said.
FICA Chief Executive Tim May was delighted at the new joint initiative of cricketers' association and the ICC. "FICA believes it is important to honour the outstanding contributions many individuals have made to the game," said May.
"The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in association with FICA is obviously the appropriate forum to do so and we are delighted to join with the ICC in this great venture," he added.
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame inductees:
Sydney Barnes
Bishan Bedi
Alec Bedser
Richie Benaud
Allan Border
Ian Botham
Geoffrey Boycott
Donald Bradman
Greg Chappell
Ian Chappell
Denis Compton
Colin Cowdrey
Kapil Dev
Sunil Gavaskar
Lance Gibbs
Graham Gooch
David Gower
WG Grace
Tom Graveney
Gordon Greenidge
Richard Hadlee
Walter Hammond
Neil Harvey
Ron Headley
Jack Hobbs
Michael Holding
Leonard Hutton
Rohan Kanhai
Imran Khan
Alan Knott
Jim Laker
Harold Larwood
Dennis Lillee
Ray Lindwall
Clive Lloyd
Hanif Mohammad
Rodney Marsh
Malcolm Marshal
Peter May
Javed Miandad
Keith Miller
Bill O'Reilly
Graeme Pollock
Wilfred Rhodes
Barry Richards
Vivian Richards
Andy Roberts
Garfield Sobers
Brian Statham
Fred Trueman
Derek Underwood
Clyde Walcott
Everton Weekes
Frank Woolley
Frank Worrell
Three Indian cricketing legends, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Bishan Singh Bedi figured among the 55 former players named on Friday in the ICC's inaugural Hall of Fame list as part of its centenary celebrations.Launching the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame here, Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said the initiative, in association with Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA), would provide the chance for the game to recognise its greatest achievers.
"Given a key theme of the ICC's centenary year is celebrating the game's heritage then the foundation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is an entirely logical step," he said.
"It will provide a means of recognising the historical contribution of past players, officials and even institutions in making cricket what it is today, a great sport with a great spirit," he added.
Gavaskar expressed "humbled" to be named along with Sir Donald Bradman and Sir Garfield Sobers.
"To be recognised by the premier authority in the game, the ICC, and that, too, in its centenary year, is an honour indeed.
"It is a privilege and I am overwhelmed and humbled to be included in such august company as Sir Donald Bradman and the one and only Sir Garry Sobers," he said in a statement.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh became the first Hall of Famer to receive his commemorative cap from ICC President David Morgan.
"I'm deeply honoured to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Being recognised in this way is humbling, especially when I look at the names of the players in this list and think about those who will join it in the years to come," Marsh said.
"It (the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame) is another way of showing what a great history our game has and anything that does that has to be a good thing," Marsh said.
The career statistics and biographies of the 55 inductees can be found at the new ICC centenary website, also launched today, ww.catchthespirit.com.
Each year, starting 2009, new inductees will be announced during the LG ICC Awards ceremony. The initial inductees or, in the case of those who have passed away, their relatives will be presented with a commemorative ICC Cricket Hall of Fame cap at an appropriate stage during the ICC centenary year.
The living members of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame will also have the chance to choose new inductees.
"We have studied numerous Halls of Fame in other sports to see what works and what doesn't and how best we can achieve our goal, to recognise the game's greatest achievers.
"We want to ensure that as many of the game's stakeholders as possible, including current ICC Cricket Hall of Famers and members of the public, get the chance to have their say in the process of choosing the game's true legends," Lorgat said.
FICA Chief Executive Tim May was delighted at the new joint initiative of cricketers' association and the ICC. "FICA believes it is important to honour the outstanding contributions many individuals have made to the game," said May.
"The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in association with FICA is obviously the appropriate forum to do so and we are delighted to join with the ICC in this great venture," he added.
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame inductees:
Sydney Barnes
Bishan Bedi
Alec Bedser
Richie Benaud
Allan Border
Ian Botham
Geoffrey Boycott
Donald Bradman
Greg Chappell
Ian Chappell
Denis Compton
Colin Cowdrey
Kapil Dev
Sunil Gavaskar
Lance Gibbs
Graham Gooch
David Gower
WG Grace
Tom Graveney
Gordon Greenidge
Richard Hadlee
Walter Hammond
Neil Harvey
Ron Headley
Jack Hobbs
Michael Holding
Leonard Hutton
Rohan Kanhai
Imran Khan
Alan Knott
Jim Laker
Harold Larwood
Dennis Lillee
Ray Lindwall
Clive Lloyd
Hanif Mohammad
Rodney Marsh
Malcolm Marshal
Peter May
Javed Miandad
Keith Miller
Bill O'Reilly
Graeme Pollock
Wilfred Rhodes
Barry Richards
Vivian Richards
Andy Roberts
Garfield Sobers
Brian Statham
Fred Trueman
Derek Underwood
Clyde Walcott
Everton Weekes
Frank Woolley
Frank Worrell
Topics mentioned in this article
Cricket Sunil Manohar Gavaskar
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