On the eve of the 2021 T20 World Cup final in Dubai, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has inducted Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene, South Africa’s Shaun Pollock and England’s Janette Brittin into the Hall of Fame.
After the development, the tally of inducted players goes to 13 for the ongoing year as 10 players were inducted ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand in June.
Jayawardena played 652 international matches for the island nation, comprising 149 Tests, 448 ODIs and 55 T20Is. It was only India’s Sachin Tendulkar, who played more international matches than Jayawardene.
Commenting on his induction, he said: “I am very grateful for the recognition and would like to enjoy and share the moment with all those that have helped me on my journey, including my family, friends, coaches, team-mates and, most importantly, Sri Lanka cricket fans who passionately supported and inspired me during my career.”
Jayawardene had retired from international cricket at the end of Sri Lanka’s Cricket World Cup 2015 campaign in Australia.
On the other hand, Pollock played 108 Tests and 303 ODIs, scalping 421 and 393 wickets respectively. Meanwhile, the South African great also amassed 7300 runs across the two formats.
Commenting on it, the former South Africa all-rounder said: “I would like to thank the ICC for this recognition of my career,” Pollock said.
“It’s an amazing honour to be included in the Hall of Fame alongside the very illustrious company that has already been inducted. It’s a real cherry on the top or maybe even a book end of what has been a thoroughly enjoyable cricketing experience and I’d like to thank my teammates who played such a massive part along the journey,” he added.
Significantly, Shaun is the son of former South African player Peter Pollock and nephew of ICC Hall of Famer Graeme Pollock.
On the other hand, Brittan, considered as one of England’s most successful batters, was inducted into the hall of fame posthumously.
Brittan’s Test career lasted for 19 years and she was also the top-scorer in the 1992 World Cup final. She played 27 Tests and 63 ODIs for England.
Reacting to the news of her induction, Angela Bainbridge, friend of Janette Brittin said: “I along with Jan’s parents Maggie and Kevin are incredibly proud of her and her achievements and this award recognises both the player and the person that she was.”
“You could not wish to meet a more humble or talented player and she always gave 100% whether she played for club, county, or country,” she added.
Brittin had passed away from cancer at the age of 58 in 2017. Notably, she is the 31st England player to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.