Vinoo Mankad, Kumar Sangakkara Inducted Into ICC Hall Of Fame

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday announced a special edition intake of 10 cricket icons into the ICC Hall of Fame to celebrate the prestigious history of Test cricket, and to coincide with the first-ever ICC World Test Championship final. The 10 legends of the game to be inducted have all made a significant contribution to the history of Test cricket, and join an illustrious list of ICC Hall of Famers, taking the total number to 103 as a result of this intake. The special inductions of the ICC Hall of Fame from the following five eras join the ranks of the world's greatest players:

From early cricket era, South Africa's Aubrey Faulkner, Australia's Monty Noble have been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. In the early cricket era, players whose greatest contributions to the game till 1918 were selected.

In the inter-war era (Players whose greatest contributions to the game were from 1918-1945), West Indies' Sir Learie Constantine, Australia's Stan McCabe were chosen.

In the post-war era (Players whose greatest contributions to the game were from 1946-1970), England's Ted Dexter, India's Vinoo Mankad were inducted to the ICC Hall of Fame.

Vinoo Mankad of India played 44 Tests, scored 2,109 runs at 31.47, took 162 wickets at 32.32, and was an opening batsman and slow left arm orthodox bowler, known as one of India's greatest-ever all-rounders. His most famous feat was against England at Lord's in 1952 when he scored 72 and 184 and bowled 97 overs in the match.

He is one of only three cricketers to have batted in every position during his Test career. In later life, he also coached another legendary cricketer and fellow ICC Hall of Fame member from his country, Sunil Gavaskar in Mumbai, India.

In the ODI era (Players whose greatest contributions to the game were from 1971-1995), West Indies' Desmond Haynes and England's Bob Willis were inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. In the Modern Cricket Era, Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, Zimbabwe's Andy Flower were selected.

Andy Flower of Zimbabwe played 63 Tests, scoring 4,794 runs at 51.54, took 151 catches with nine stumpings as a left-handed wicket-keeper batsmen. First Zimbabwe player to be inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame. His grit, determination and will to succeed meant at one point he was ranked number 1 batsman in the world.

Andy carried his country's batting for long periods, setting the record for the highest Test score by a wicketkeeper with an innings of 232 not out against India at Nagpur in 2000. Later, he became a hugely successful coach, leading England to the number 1 spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings for Men.

Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka played 134 Tests, scored 12,400 runs at 57.40, took 182 catches and 20 stumpings, and was grace personified at the crease. Sangakkara ended his career as the most prolific run-scorer his country had ever known, with double-hundreds flowing from his bat with consummate ease.

In 2014, he struck 319 and 105 in the same Test match against Bangladesh and in 2017 fell just 16 runs short of striking six successive centuries in first-class cricket.

The 10 icons inducted as part of this special edition were voted for by the ICC Hall of Fame Voting Academy, comprising living Hall of Fame members, a FICA representative, prominent cricket journalists and senior ICC figures.

Speaking on Vinoo Mankad's induction, fellow ICC Hall of Fame member, Sunil Gavaskar in an official release said: "Vinoo Mankad's legacy has been to tell the aspiring Indian cricketer to believe in oneself. He was a great proponent of self-belief. He was the one who kept saying to me that you need to keep scoring runs and keep at it. When you get a 100, let that be the knock on the selector's door."

"If it is unheard, then score that double hundred and let that knock be even louder. You can have the best technique, but if you do not have the temperament to support it you will not succeed, you have to keep hanging in there and have that self-belief. That was the greatest lesson I learnt from him."

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team England Cricket Team Sri Lanka Cricket Team Vinoo Mankad Kumar Sangakkara Cricket International Cricket Council