Three greats of the game inducted into ICC Hall of Fame
The ICC announced a trio of additions to the ICC Hall of Fame on Tuesday, with Pakistan legend Abdul Qadir, England trailblazer Charlotte Edwards and West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul the latest inductees.
Pakistan spinner Qadir joins the ranks following an illustrious career that saw him appear in 67 Test matches and 104 ODI games for his country over a 13-year period.
Well renowned for changing the art of spin bowling, Qadir had a unique style when approaching the crease and his eye-catching skip and jump in his delivery stride is easily identifiable.
Qadir finished his career with 236 Test wickets - still the third among all Pakistan spinners - and 132 ODI wickets, representing the team in 171 international matches across the two formats.
He is also well known for inspiring the next generations of spinners around the world, with Australia legend Shane Warne recalling he looked up to Qadir while watching him on television during the 1980s.
Qadir's son Usman - who currently plays for Pakistan - said the honour would have made his late father very proud.
"On behalf of the family, I want to say thank you very much to the ICC for nominating my father for induction into the Hall of Fame," Usman Qadir said.
"It is a very big honour for the family to hear of this news, we see it as a huge achievement, and one that my father would be very proud of if he was still with us today."
Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2022.
Edwards' honour roll is just as impressive, with the Englishwoman having amassed an individual record as a top-order batter and successful leader that surpasses most of her contemporaries.
At the time of her retirement in 2016, Edwards was the leading women’s run-scorer from any nation in the history of both ODI and T20 cricket and the 42-year-old remains the record run-scorer in both ODIs and T20Is for England.
Her career totals of 5992 runs at an average of 38.16 in 191 ODIs and 2605 runs at 32.97 in 95 T20Is are impressive and her 1676 runs at an average of 44.10 in Test cricket only adds to her bulging resume.
But perhaps the most stunning feat Edwards achieved during her playing career came in 2009 when she led England to three major trophies all in the space of six months.
Edwards captained England to success at the 50-over World Cup in Australia at the start of the year, before backing it up by leading her side to glory at the World Twenty20 on home soil.
To cap it all off, Edwards then led England to a defence of the Ashes later that summer – one of five occasions in which she was part of an Ashes-winning-or-retaining England side during her career.
Edwards was ecstatic to be recognised by the ICC.
"I would like to thank the ICC for this recognition of my career," Edwards said.
"It’s a massive honour to be included in the ICC Hall of Fame alongside the very illustrious company that has already been inducted.
"I’d like to thank and share this moment with my family and friends, my teammates and all of the coaches that have supported me throughout.
"I loved every minute of my international career and I’m absolutely delighted to be inducted into to the ICC Hall of Fame."
England batter Charlotte Edwards inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2022.
Chanderpaul played international cricket even longer than Edwards and the West Indies great certainly did enough during his 21-year career to show he belongs in the ICC Hall of Fame.
The Guyanese batter scored a total of 11867 Test runs, hit 30 Test centuries and maintained an average in excess of 50, finishing with 51.37.
But it wasn't just in the longest format of the game that the pint-sized left-hander thrived, with Chanderpaul also excelling in the 50-over game with a total of 8778 runs coming at an average of 41.60 and a strike rate of 70.74.
Chanderpaul was well known for his unique stance while batting at the crease, with his unusual technique that saw him face the bowler almost square on causing headaches for some of the best bowlers around the world.
To showcase how good a player Chanderpaul was, only Brian Lara has scored more runs or reached a century more times for West Indies than his long-time teammate.
Chanderpaul said it was a huge honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
"It’s an amazing honour to follow the footsteps of many legends and so many other great cricketers of the past," Chanderpaul said.
"I’m grateful for the recognition and would like to enjoy the moment with family, friends and most importantly the West Indies cricket fans and fans around the world who passionately supported me throughout my career."
West Indies batter Shivnarine Chanderpaul inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2022.