DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) inducted batting legends and former captains of their respective nations, Rahul Dravid of India and Ricky Ponting of Australia in its Hall of Fame in a glittering ceremony in Dublin on Sunday.
Dravid became the fifth Indian to make this list after Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Bishan Singh Bedi and Sunil Gavaskar. While Ponting joined the likes of his former teammates Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne and the legendary Don Bradman for this honour.
England Women’s retired wicketkeeper-batter Claire Taylor also was named in the prestigious list, becoming the 3rd English women’s player and the 7th overall to have merited this feat.
Former ICC Cricket Hall of Famers and members of the media voted for these three players.
ICC CEO David Richardson commented during the ceremony.
“The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is our way of honouring the greats of our game. Only the very best players in the world are recognised for their contribution to cricket in this way and I would like to congratulate Rahul, Ricky and Claire who are wonderful additions to the list of cricketing luminaries in the Hall of Fame.”, he said.
On achieving this honour, Rahul Dravid, who is currently coaching the India A team said:
“It is a matter of great honour to be named by the ICC in the Cricket Hall of Fame. To find your name in a list of all-time greats across generations is something one only dreams of while setting out on a cricket career and the kind of recognition that would delight any player.
“I’m thankful to my near and dear ones as well as players I have played with and against, coaches and officials who have backed me over the years and helped me develop as a cricketer. I would also like to thank the KSCA and the BCCI for all the support over the years and the ICC for recognizing my achievements and picking me in this group of Hall of Fame inductees.”, Dravid was quoted as saying in a video released by the ICC.
Ricky Ponting also expressed his delight with the announcement.
“I feel deeply honoured to be recognised by the ICC in this way. I loved every moment of my journey as a player and am so very proud of the team and personal achievements along the way.
“These would not have been possible without the help of so many people including my teammates, coaches and support staff that played such an integral part in my playing career. I would like to especially thank my family for their constant support and direction. Honours like this are just as much for them as it is for me.”, Ponting said.
Dravid and Ponting had parallel running careers, making a name for themselves batting at the No.3 position during most of their ODI and Test appearances. In Test cricket, both of them remarkably retired in 2012, breaching the 13000-run mark. Ponting did the same in ODIs, while Dravid ended up with 10,889 runs in the format.
While Dravid continues to hold the world record for the most number of catches (210) in Test cricket, Ponting is renowned to be the only player to have featured in more than 100 Test match victories and the second captain in the history of the game to win 2 World Cup titles in a row in 2003 and 2007, winning 34 consecutive games in the process.
