MS Dhoni. Matthew Hayden, Dniel Vettori, Graeme Smith, Sarah Taylor and Sana Mir were the latest inductees into the ICC Hall of Fame unveiled two days out from the World Test Championship final at Lord’s. Mir became the first woman from Pakistan to be a Hall of Fame inductee.

After making her debut in 2005, Mir captained Pakistan in 72 of the 120 women’s ODIs and in 65 of the 106 women’s T20Is she played, including two gold-medal wins at the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014. She is the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in ODIs, taking 151 scalps with her offbreaks, and topped the ODI rankings for bowlers in 2018.

“From dreaming as a little girl that one day there would even be a women’s team in our country to now standing here, inducted among the very legends I idolised long before I ever held a bat or a ball – this is a moment I couldn’t have dared to imagine,” Mir said. “I am incredibly grateful for this honour and hope to give back to the sport in any way I can.”

Former India captain Dhoni helped India break their drought of a men’s ODI World Cup, four years after helping them to the inaugural men’s T20 World Cup title in 2007. He hit the winning runs as India won the ODI World Cup in 2011 and became the first team to win the silverware on home soil. Two years later, he captained India to the Champions Trophy win in 2013. He finished his ODI career with an average above 50, having played 350 matches and scored over 10,000 runs. Apart from his ability to ace run-chases, Dhoni will also be remembered for being the only captain to win all three white-ball ICC trophies. India also reached the top of the ICC Test rankings under his captaincy.

“It is an honour to be named in the ICC Hall of Fame, which recognises the contributions of cricketers across generations and from all over the world,” he said. “To have your name remembered alongside such all-time greats is a wonderful feeling. It is something that I will cherish forever.”

Hayden was one of the feared Australia openers of his times, his aggressive batting making the bowlers hide for cover. He hit three centuries in Australia’s 2007 ODI World Cup win and was also part of their win in the 2003 edition. He finished his career with 30 Test centuries and an average above 50.

Amla was a Test-cricket behemoth for South Africa, who became the No. 1-ranked team in the format during his long career. He was the first from South Africa to score a triple century in Tests when he hit an unbeaten 311 against England in 2012. He finished with over 55 international centuries across formats.

Amla’s South Africa team-mate, Smith, was thrust into captaincy at only 22, and it is a role that he excelled at for a long time. He led South Africa in a world record 109 Tests, winning 53 of those. He is the only player to captain a Test team for over 100 matches. He also captained them in 150 ODIs, the most for South Africa.

“It is an honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, especially alongside Graeme,” Amla said. Smith concurred: “This is also a proud moment for South Africa, as two of us have got recognition this year.”

Australia’s assistant coach and former New Zealand captain Vettori is one of only three players to score 4000 runs and pick up 300 wickets in Tests. He also captained New Zealand to a runners-up finish at the 2009 Champions Trophy.

Taylor is one of the architects of England Women’s double of an ODI World Cup win and a T20 World Cup title in 2009. She also starred in them winning the ODI World Cup on home soil in 2017, making a crucial 45 in the title-clash against India at Lord’s. She made a name for herself with some sensational wicket-keeping, with which she effected 232 dismissals across formats. By taking regular mental-health breaks, she helped normalise conversations around anxiety.

[Cricinfo]

“Being inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame is one of the best moments of my life and truly feels like a dream come true,” she said. “Women’s cricket has been thriving in recent years, and receiving this award during such a significant time makes it even more special. I am grateful to the members of the ICC Hall of Fame selection panel for this recognition.”