AUSTRALIA's World Cup-winning all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on Sunday, along with South African Jacques Kallis and Pakistan batting great Zaheer Abbas.
India-born Sthalekar is the first woman cricketer to achieve the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in one-day Internationals.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that I would ever get to join such an illustrious group of players," the 41-year-old said.
“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 teammates along the way kept me focused but also ensured that it was a fun environment. Thanks to all my teammates.
“It goes without saying that if it wasn’t for the support of my family, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have.”
The flamboyant spin-bowling all-rounder was a key member of four Would Cup-winning Australia squads.
The only Asian cricketer to have scored 100 first-class hundreds, Abbas -- who was called “Asian Bradman” -- is the sixth cricketer from Pakistan to get the honour.
“I would like to say a special thanks to my family, my country Pakistan, my county Gloucestershire and many fans worldwide who helped me achieve and fulfil my dreams by playing this great game at the highest level,” he said.
“Thank you, ICC, and the members of the jury, for this special honour. It is a final recognition for any cricketer.
“This great game has made me the person I am. Thank you cricket.”
Kallis is the fourth South African player in the list, having retired as the only player to score 10,000-plus runs and claim 250-plus wickets in both test and ODI cricket.
“It’s a great honour to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. It is something that I never expected when I started playing. I certainly did not play the game for any accolades or anything like that, I only wanted to win the games for whoever I was playing for,” he said.
“But it is nice to be recognised when one has succeeded in the sport, it is nice to be recognised by people for something that you have achieved in the game, something that I am really proud of.”
So far, 93 players have been inducted in the Hall of Fame under the current system wherein retired players become eligible five years after playing their last international match.
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