International Cricket Council on Wednesday (16th October) made three new additions to the Hall of Fame. England great Alastair Cook, South African legend AB de Villiers, and Indian great Neetu David have made it into the elite list of the governing body.
England great Alastair Cook arguably is one of the best openers that have played the game of cricket. His contribution to England Cricket has been immense, and over the 12 years of his career, he did incredible things for the team across the formats.
Alastair Cook retired as England’s all-time leading run-scorer. In the 161 Tests, he slammed 12,472 runs at an average of 45.35. He also scored 3,204 runs at an average of 36.40 in 92 ODIs. In the 4 T20Is, the Southpaw slammed 61 runs at an average of 15.25.
Not only as a batter, Alastair Cook was also right on the money as the captain of the England National Cricket Team. Under his leadership, the team did some incredible things and won the Ashes 2010-11 in Australia and also the Test series in India in 2012.
Every time I pulled on the English shirt, I tried my best to be as good as I could be – Alastair Cook
On getting inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, Alastair Cook said that it was a surprise for him to get inducted into the elite list. He mentioned that he tried his best for England during his career. He said:
“It was a surprise, and certainly just when you read the list of people that you’re joining, it’s a great list to have joined. I feel very privileged. Every time I pulled on the English shirt, I tried my best to be as good as I could be. I had the best 20 years playing cricket.
“I was very lucky to stay injury-free, meet some great people, share some great highs, and some great lows, which I think are important as well, and make memories which I’ll never forget.”
AB de Villiers also gets inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame
AB de Villiers, on the other hand, was the most dynamic batter the game of cricket has ever seen. His ability to play the shots in all the corners of the ground and his 360-degree range made him unique. His international career spanned more than 14 years, and he slammed more than 20,000 international runs across all three formats.
During his career, AB de Villiers broke quite a few records, and one among them, which still holds, is the fastest-ever men’s ODI century. He averaged 50 in both Test and ODI cricket and ended as the second-leading run-scorer for the South Africa National Cricket Team.
It is a tremendous honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame – AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers played 114 Tests, ending up with 8,765 runs at an average of 50.66, and also picked 2 wickets. In the 228 ODIs, he amassed 9,577 runs at an average of 53.50 and also had 7 wickets under his belt. While in 78 T20Is, he mustered 1,672 runs at an average of 26.12.
While speaking about the achievement, AB de Villiers said that it is a tremendous honour for him to get inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Elaborating on the same, AB de Villiers explained:
“It is a tremendous honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, joining a select group of cricketers to be recognised in this way. Cricket is often described as an individual sport within a team game.
“And it’s true that, whether you are a batter taking guard at the crease or a bowler pausing at the start of his run-up, you – and only you – are responsible for what happens. That said, everyone who plays cricket understands it is, in spirit, a team game.”said AB de Villiers.
Indian legend Neetu David became the second woman from India to make it into the ICC Hall of Fame. She was one of the best spinners for the team and played more than 100 games for the India Women’s National Cricket Team.
She was the first female player from India to claim 100 ODI wickets. In the 97 ODIs, she ended up with 141 wickets at an average of 16.34. In the 10 Tests, Neetu David picked 41 wickets at an average of 18.90.
On getting inducted, to ICC Hall of Fame, she said: “It is truly an honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, something that I consider to be the highest recognition available to anyone who puts on their national team jersey.
“This comes after a lifetime of dedication to this great sport and it caps a very special journey for me to get to this point. To be considered a Hall of Famer alongside the greatest players that ever lived is humbling, and I am thrilled to be part of this exclusive club.”
