LAHORE: Former Pakistan Test great Zaheer Abbas has thanked the International Cricket Council (ICC) for including him in the illustrious club of Hall of Fame.

“No doubt it is a great honour for every cricketer to become a part of the Hall of Fame club and it is a great honour for me and I thank the ICC for that,” the legendary batsman told Dawn from England on Sunday.

“Today is in an important date in my life as back in 1974 I scored 240 against England [in a drawn Test] at the Oval.”

Zaheer, nicknamed the ‘Asian Bradman’ in honour of Australia’s Don Bradman, scored four double centuries, two each against England and India during his career spanning from 1969 to 1985. He is also the only Asian batsman who has scored more than 100 centuries in his Test and First-class career (108).

Widely regarded as Test cricket’s greatest batsman of all time, Zaheer scored 12 centuries and 20 fifties in 78 Tests and seven centuries and 13 half-centuries in 62 One-day Internationals .

Kallis, Sthalekar also named in prestigious list

The 73-year-old Zaheer, who led the ICC as its last president in 2015, is the third Pakistani batsman to be inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame after Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad. The other three Pakistani cricketers in the ICC Hall of Fame are Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

In all, 93 players have been inducted so far under the system in which players become eligible five years after playing their last international match. Also inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday were Australia’s World Cup-winning all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar and South African star all-rounder Jacques Kallis.

Former ICC Cricket Hall of Famers formed the majority of the adjudicating panel with representation from the media, ICC and Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA).

The ICC conducted the ceremony virtually owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was attended by, among others, Kallis’ longtime team-mate Shaun Pollock and Indian great Sunil Gavaskar.

“Absolutely delighted [for Zaheer]. No one deserves it more than him. Don’t know why it took so long but better late than ever. When you saw him bat, even when it was your team’s expense, you enjoyed his batting,” said Gavaskar. “His class made you enjoy. His hunger for big runs stood out. I am very happy to call him a friend.”

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani congratulated Zaheer for the recognition.

“It is a matter of great honour and pride for Pakistan that Zaheer Abbas’s outstanding career achievements have been acknowledged by the game’s governing body,” Mani was quoted as saying in a news release. “Thus, it gives me immense pleasure to congratulate Zed on behalf of millions of Pakistan cricket fans across the world for this recognition.”

“I am sure all those who watched Zaheer live in action will agree that when he batted, it was like a poetry in motion. It was his immaculate footwork backed up by superlative wrist work with an ability to consistently bisect the field that not only made him a run-machine but also one of the most attractive and graceful batsmen ever to grace this great game.

“Zaheer had a huge positive impact on Pakistan cricket. After he had established himself as a household name in every cricket playing country, the younger generation fell in love with the sport and consequently, we produced a battery of champion world-class batsmen.

“Zaheer’s contributions to cricket were beyond the field of play when as an administrator, he served the PCB and the ICC with respect and dignity. He richly deserves this recognition from the ICC, which hopefully will further inspire the next generation of Pakistan cricketers.”

Former Pakistan skipper Intikhab Alam also congratulated Zaheer.

“It is a great moment for Pakistan as well as for Zaheer Abbas who richly deserves this honour,” said Intikhab under whose captaincy Zaheer had played.

Agencies add: 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. The ICC player of the Year and ICC Test player of the year in 2005, Kallis is also South Africa’s leading Test run-scorer, and currently third on the all-time list.

“It is something that I never expected when I started playing,” Kallis, the most capped South African player in both Test and ODI cricket, said in a statement issued by the ICC. “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. But it is nice to be recognised when one has succeeded in the sport.”

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 after joining former team-mates Belinda Clark, Karen Rolton and Cathryn Fitzpatrick in that list.

The flamboyant spin-bowling all-rounder was a key member of four Would Cup-winning Australia squads.

ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said: “These are all players with a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations for years to come. I congratulate Zaheer, Jacques and Lisa on their inclusion in the pantheon of cricket greats.”

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2020