Jay Shah congratulates seven famous former players inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

LONDON: Seven famous former players were inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame on Monday. ICC Chairman Jay Shah welcomed the new members to the Hall of Fame at a gala event at Abbey Road Studios in London.

“Through the ICC Hall of Fame, we pay tribute to the finest players the game has seen, individuals whose remarkable careers have shaped cricket’s legacy and inspired generations,” Jay Shah said, according to ICC.

“This year, we are privileged to induct seven truly outstanding individuals into this prestigious group. On behalf of the ICC, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to each of them and hope they cherish this well-deserved recognition as a defining moment in their cricketing journey,” he added.

Some of the newest ICC Hall of Fame inductees imparting their wisdom at ‘A Day with the Legends’ pic.twitter.com/N2jDC2B26u

— ICC (@ICC) June 10, 2025

Veteran Australian batter and two-time World Cup winner, Matthew Hayden, has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. In 273 matches across all formats, Hayden made 15,066 runs at an average of 47.67 and a strike rate of 67.46, including 40 centuries and 69 fifties. A powerful opening batter who intimidated the best fast bowlers in the world, Matthew Hayden joins an exclusive group in the ICC Hall of Fame.

With a whopping 30 Test centuries and a Test average greater than 50, Hayden’s outstanding numbers in the longest format speak for themselves. Or themselves.

India’s World Cup winning captain MS Dhoni was inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame, becoming the 11th Indian cricketer to join the illustrious company. With 17,266 international runs, 829 dismissals and 538 matches across formats for India, Dhoni’s numbers reflect not just excellence but extraordinary consistency, fitness and longevity.

South African veteran batters Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, and former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori have also been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. In 347 matches across all formats, Smith has made 17236 at an average of 42.34 and a strike of 69.10, including 37 centuries and 90 fifties, with a big score of 277.

Amla in 349 matches across all formats, Amla has made 18672 runs at an average of 46.56 and a strike rate of 65.01, including 55 centuries and 88 fifties.

Vettori finished with more than 700 international wickets and close to 7000 international runs. Vettori’s career was defined by adaptability, intelligence, and understated excellence with bat and ball. Vettori paved out an excellent career as a player and was one of just three players to score 4,000 runs and take 300 wickets in Test cricket.

Former Pakistan women’s captain Sana Mir and England Women’s wicketkeeper-batter Sara Taylor were the two women cricketers who were inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

The highest wicket-taker in ODIs and the second-highest in T20Is among Pakistan women, Mir was also the first being the first Pakistan woman cricketer to pick up 100 ODI wickets. In a career spanning 15 years, where she captained for eight years, Mir picked up 150 wickets in 121 ODIs and 89 wickets in 106 T20Is, scoring 1630 and 820 runs respectively.

Taylor’s international career spanned just short of 13 years and the stylish wicket-keeper batter produced many records and milestones throughout her time in an England shirt as she amassed a total of 226 appearance and tallied a whopping 6,533 international runs to sit high up the charts on the team’s all-time scoring list behind current national coach and long-time confidant Charlotte Edwards. (ANI)