England’s Janette Brittin, South Africa’s Shaun Pollock and Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardena have been added to the ICC Hall of Fame, in a brilliant decision.
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England’s Janette Brittin, South Africa’s Shaun Pollock and Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardena have been added to the ICC Hall of Fame. Janette is among the greatest batters to have played women’s cricket, having played 27 Tests and 63 ODIs for England between 1979 and 1998. She is the greatest run-scorer (1935 at 49.61), century-maker (five) and appearance maker (27) in women’s Test history. Janette was similarly dominant in ODIs, accumulating 2121 runs at an average of 42.42 with five centuries across 63 ODIs. She was also part of England’s World Cup-winning side in 1993. Janette passed away from cancer at the age of 58 in 2017, and becomes the 31st England player to join the Hall of Fame.
Jayawardena played 652 international matches, comprising 149 Tests, 448 ODIs and 55 T20Is. Considered a giant of Sri Lankan cricket, the cricketer has been pipped only by India’s Sachin Tendulkar by a margin of 12 games with regard to playing more international matches. Jayawardena’s 149 Tests are the most by a Sri Lankan, as are his 448 ODIs (12,650 runs at 33.37, 19 centuries). Globally only Tendulkar (463) played more matches. The Sri Lankan has been hailed by one and all as a classy right-hander who scored runs relentlessly and captained his nation superbly.
Jayawardena is Test cricket’s ninth greatest run-scorer with 11,814 to his name at an average of 49.84. The Sri Lankan accumulated the sixth most Test centuries in the format’s history, making him the player with the sixth most Test centuries in the format’s history. Jayawardena was part of the Sri Lankan sides that finished second in the 2009 and 2012 T20 World Cups, making him being denied men’s ODI cricket’s most cherished trophy twice quite unfortunate.
Pollock scored 7386 runs and took 829 wickets in international cricket, and is hailed as an all-rounder in the truest sense of the word. The South African is the son of former cricketer Peter Pollock and nephew of ICC Hall of Famer Graeme Pollock. Pollock went on to play 108 Tests, 303 ODIs and 12 T20Is across 13 years after making his Test debut in 1995 against England. The South African was truly special with the ball. He stood out as a batter as well, scoring three centuries in total with two of those hundreds coming in Test cricket.
Pollock took 421 Test wickets at 23.11, 393 ODI wickets at 25.4 and 15 T20I wickets at 20.6, with his accuracy with the ability to swing and seam the ball hailed by one and all. He took 16 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket and only Dale Steyn (439) took more Test wickets for South Africa. Pollock’s tally of 829 international wickets is the seventh most of all time.
His one ODI ton came for an Africa XI against an Asia XI in 2007, recording a 110-ball 130-run blitz. Pollock accumulated 3519 runs at 26.45 in ODIs, with 14 fifties to his name alongside the lone ton.
