Legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, alongside retired South Africa pacer Allan Donald and Cathryn Fitzpatrick who played for Australia.
"It is an honour to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, which cherishes the contribution of cricketers over generations. They have all contributed to the growth and popularity of the game and I am happy to have done my bit," said the 46-year-old at the induction ceremony which took place on Thursday.
Tendulkar, who retired in November 2013, tallied 15,921 runs in Tests and 18,426 in ODIs, both of which remain world records. He is the sixth Indian to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. The others are Bishen Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, and Anil Kumble.
Donald, nicknamed the 'White Lightening', was arguably Proteas' fastest bowler and finished with 330 Test and 272 ODI wickets. He is one of the players credited with South Africa's success in the game after their return to international cricket in 1991.
Fitzpatrick, the eighth woman to win the award, was the fastest bowler in women's cricket for a period of 16 years, ending her career with 180 wickets in 109 matches, a record then. She helped Australia win two Women's World Cups and finished with 60 wickets in 13 Tests.
ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: "Sachin, Allan and Cathryn are three of the finest players to ever grace our game and are deserved additions to the Hall of Fame.”
A majority of cricketers to have received the honour happen to be English players, with only 18 of 89 players from other countries.
The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame was launched in January 2009 in Dubai along with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA).