ICC announced the names of the inductees which included Sana Mir, former South African batters Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla, Matthew Hayden of Australia, Daniel Vettori of New Zealand and England’s Sarah Taylor on Monday.
The ICC Hall of Fame pays tribute to the extraordinary achievements of cricket legends who have shaped the sport’s rich history with players inducted only five years after they have played their last international match.
“A veteran in over 100 matches in both formats of white-ball cricket, Sana Mir becomes the first Pakistan woman cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame,” the ICC said in a post on its website on Monday.
Sana Mir poses with ICC Hall of fame title with her parents.
Mir has several accolades under her belt. The cricketer remains the highest wicket-taker in ODIs and the second-highest in T20Is among Pakistani women.
Mir was also the first Pakistani woman cricketer to pick up 100 ODI wickets.
The former off-spinner has remained a prolific cricket voice off the field as well, amplifying a strong stance on body shaming, prioritizing mental health and helping people affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Mir played international cricket for 15 years, captaining Pakistan for eight of those.
She picked up 150 wickets in 121 ODIs and 89 wickets in 106 T20Is, scoring 1630 and 820 runs respectively.
Her best year was 2014 in which she collected 21 wickets in 11 ODIs while leading the team to an Asian Games gold medal, a feat she had achieved in 2010 as well, one year after being appointed as captain.
In 2018, Mir became the first Pakistani woman to reach the top of the ICC ODI Player Rankings.
She was also the first Asian woman cricketer to play 100 T20Is, along with being the first Pakistan woman cricketer to play 100 ODIs.
She was also the first Pakistani woman cricketer to win the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Cricketer of the Year award and now is the first Pakistani woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
The ICC credited Mir for speaking up for women’s rights and pushing women’s cricket in Pakistan.
In 2019, she was included in the ICC Women’s committee as one of the three player representatives and was named the ambassador of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in 2024.
“Mir knew she was doing the right thing and continued to live by her words, inspiring thousands of girls in not just her country but across the globe,” the ICC said.
In reaction, Sana Mir said “From dreaming as a little girl that one day there would even be a women’s team in our country to now standing here, inducted among the very legends I idolised long before I ever held a bat or a ball — this is a moment I couldn’t have dared to imagine.”
Cricket greats:
India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni and South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith were among seven new inductees into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame.
Also included were Australia’s Matthew Hayden and New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori, and England’s Sarah Taylor recognised for their contributions to the women’s game.
The induction ceremony took place at London’s Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded many of their hit songs.
Abbey Road is just a short walk from Lord’s, where the World Test Championship final starts on Wednesday and both captains were among the audience – Australia’s Pat Cummins and South Africa’s Temba Bavuma.
Former India captain Dhoni led his country to 2011 one-day international World Cup glory on home soil, the wicketkeeper-batsman hitting the winning runs on a memorable night in Mumbai.
He is also the only captain to have won all three ICC white-ball trophies, after skippering India to the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup title as well as the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Dhoni finished his ODI career with an average above 50, having played 350 matches and scored over 10,000 runs — often expertly helming a run-chase.
“It is an honour to be named in the ICC Hall of Fame, which recognises the contributions of cricketers across generations and from all over the world,” said Dhoni, who featured in this year’s Indian Premier League aged 43.
Proud moment:
The stylish Amla was the first South Africa batsman to score a Test-match triple century, making 311 not out against England at the Oval in 2012.
He often found himself playing alongside Smith.
Thrust into the captaincy aged just 22, Smith led South Africa in a world-record 109 Tests, with the former opening batsman the only player to captain a Test team for over 100 matches.
“It is an honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, especially alongside Graeme,” Amla said.
Smith added: “This is also a proud moment for South Africa, as two of us have got recognition this year.”
Hayden was a mainstay of Australia’s dominant sides of the early 2000s, with the powerful opener scoring 30 Test centuries and averaging above 50.
Former left-arm spinner Vettori, now an assistant coach with Australia, is one of only three players to score 4,000 runs and take 300 wickets in Tests.
Wicket-keeping great Taylor helped England win several global titles, including a 2017 ODI World Cup on home soil, while Mir is the first woman from Pakistan to be included in the Hall of Fame.
Mohsin Naqvi greets Sana Mir:
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday extended his warm greetings to Sana Mir over her induction in ICC Hall of Fame.
In his message, the PCB Chairman said “Well-done Sana Mir, you highlighted Pakistan globally and raised Pakistani flag, and the whole nation is proud of you as you are a role model for new women cricketers.”
He further said that induction in the ICC Hall of Fame is a milestone for women’s cricketers.
Mohsin Naqvi said that Sana Mir achieved this milestone through her hard, tireless work and devotion.
He said that Sana Mir’s name will encourage other female cricketers.
The PCB Chairman said that Sana Mir’s induction in ICC Hall of Fame is not only victory of her Mir but it is also victory of other women cricketers of Pakistan.
He expressed the hope that more female cricketers will win more awards for Pakistan.