New Delhi, June 10 (HS): Former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, explosive Australian opener Matthew Hayden, England's wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor, and legendary Pakistani all-rounder Sana Mir are among seven distinguished cricketers inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame. South Africa's Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, along with former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, also received this prestigious honor. Notably, Sana Mir is the first female cricketer from Pakistan to achieve this accolade.

Sana Mir debuted in international cricket in 2005, representing Pakistan in 120 ODIs and 106 T20 matches, captaining the side in 72 ODIs and 65 T20s. She played a vital role in securing gold medals for Pakistan at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games, taking 151 ODI wickets and achieving the top spot in the ICC ODI bowling rankings in 2018. After her induction, Mir expressed that reaching this milestone from a small dream felt miraculous and promised to continue contributing to cricket.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni led India to its first T20 World Cup victory in 2007 and the 2011 ODI World Cup, finishing his career with over 10,000 runs in 350 ODIs at an average above 50. He described his induction into the ICC Hall of Fame as a proud moment.

Matthew Hayden was part of Australia's World Cup-winning teams in 2003 and 2007, retiring with an average exceeding 50 and 30 Test centuries. Hashim Amla became the first South African to score a Test triple century and has over 55 international centuries, while Graeme Smith achieved a world record for captaining 109 Tests. Both expressed pride in receiving this honor.

Daniel Vettori, a key player for New Zealand, is one of only three to amass 4,000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. Sarah Taylor helped England secure ODI and T20 World Cups, noted for discussing mental health issues, and celebrated her induction as a significant milestone for women's cricket.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar