Clarrie Grimmett and Greg Chappell inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
Two more Australia legends, Clarrie Grimmett and Greg Chappell, were formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame during the tea interval on the second day of the second Test between Australia and West Indies at the Adelaide Oval.
ICC President David Morgan presented commemorative cap to Grimmett's son Victor while Cricket Australia Chairman and ICC Director Jack Clarke presented the cap to Greg Chappell who was then driven around the outfield in a motorcade to allow the crowds to show their appreciation.
The Hall of Fame, run in association with the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), recognises some of the truly great players from cricket's long and illustrious history.
The late Grimmett was one of Australia's greatest spin bowlers and took 216 wickets in 37 Tests, including five wickets in an innings 21 times and 10 wickets in a match on seven occasions.
Born on Christmas Day 1891 in Dunedin, New Zealand, Grimmett went to Australia on a short working holiday in 1914 and ended up spending the next 66 years of his life in the country and playing cricket for it.
Grimmett holds the record for reaching the fast 200 Test wickets. He claimed his 200th wicket in his 36th Test. The next quickest to reach the milestone of 200 Test wickets, is fellow Hall of Famer Dennis Lillee who accomplished the feat in his 38th Test.
Making his debut for Australia at the age of 33, Grimmett is only the second bowler (the other being India's Dilip Doshi) to have made his Test debut after the age of 30 and still end up with 100 or more Test wickets. Doshi took 113 wickets in 33 Tests.
Also inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame today was Greg Chappell whose elder brother Ian was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame during the Ashes series in England in July.
Born in August 1948, Chappell appeared in 87 Tests for Australia, scoring 7,110 runs with 24 centuries and 31 half-centuries. He captained Australia in 48 Tests, winning 21 Tests.
Chappell is one of the four batsmen to have scored centuries in his first and last Tests. He scored 108 on his debut against Australia in Perth in 1970 and signed off on his illustrious career by hitting 182 against Pakistan in Sydney in 1984. The other three batsmen to have achieved the rare distinction are Mohammad Azharuddin of India, Reginald Duff and William Ponsford (both Australia).
In 74 ODIs, Chappell made 2,331 runs at an average of 40.18 while in 321 first-class matches he scored 24, 535 runs, including 74 centuries. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1973.
After receiving his cap from ICC Director and Cricket Australia Chairman Jack Clarke, Chappell said: "It is obviously a great honour to be named in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame alongside so many greats of the game and the ones who I particularly looked up to when I was just starting my career.
"I am particularly pleased to be receiving my cap today here in Adelaide as both my mother and my elder brother Ian are here to share this special moment with me."
Victor, after receiving his father's cap from ICC President David Morgan, said: "I am honoured to be here today to accept the cap on behalf of my father.
"Dad was quite shy and reserved but he was a lovely man who would have been delighted with this award. This is very special."
The cap presentation ceremony is a key part of the celebrations to mark the ICC's centenary year as it acknowledges the greats of the game and the contributions they have made to ensure cricket is a great sport with a great spirit.
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame - initial inductees (55):
Sydney Barnes, Bishan Bedi, Alec Bedser, Richie Benaud, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Denis Compton, Colin Cowdrey, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Lance Gibbs, Graham Gooch, David Gower, WG Grace, Tom Graveney, Gordon Greenidge, Richard Hadlee, Walter Hammond, Neil Harvey, George Headley, Jack Hobbs, Michael Holding, Leonard Hutton, Rohan Kanhai, Imran Khan, Alan Knott, Jim Laker, Harold Larwood, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Clive Lloyd, Hanif Mohammad, Rodney Marsh, Malcolm Marshall, Peter May, Javed Miandad, Keith Miller, Bill O'Reilly, Graeme Pollock, Wilfred Rhodes, Barry Richards, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Garfield Sobers, Brian Statham, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Woolley, Frank Worrell.
ICC Cricket Hall of Fame - new inductees for 2009
Wasim Akram, Clarrie Grimmett, Herbert Sutcliffe, Victor Trumper and Steve Waugh.
For more information on the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame please visitwww.icc-halloffame.com
About the ICC centenary year
ICC President David Morgan and Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat officially launched the ICC centenary year in Sydney, Australia on 2 January by announcing the formation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, in association with FICA.
The ICC's centenary year of 2009 is a global celebration with events taking place around the world to reflect all that is great about the game.
On the field these events include the ICC Women's World Cup (won by England), the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (won by Ireland), the ICC World Twenty20 event for men and women (won by Pakistan and England respectively) and the ICC Champions Trophy (won by Australia).
And off the field there will be the opening of the ICC Global Cricket Academy and the inauguration of the ICC's new headquarters, both of which are in Dubai.
The ICC will also be celebrating the contribution of volunteers across the world through the award of 1,000 centenary medals and will announce new developments to its social responsibility partnership on HIV/AIDS.
During the course of 2009, each of the ICC's 104 Members will be hosting activities inspired by the special spirit of cricket as part of the global Catch the Spirit centenary celebration.
To promote this theme and the launch of the ICC's centenary year website, www.catchthespirit.com, stars of the international game have named their "Catch the Spirit" moments which best encapsulate the spirit of cricket.
Among those stars that can be seen on the website, Yuvraj Singh of India speaks of his experiences in Pakistan - India matches and South Africa's Jacques Kallis reflects on his side's famous chase of 438 to beat Australia in an ODI in Johannesburg.