Ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup final in Dubai, the International Cricket Council has inducted Mahela Jayawardene, Shaun Pollock and Janette Brittin into the Hall of Fame. This takes the tally of inducted players to 13 for the year, after 10 players were inducted earlier this year, ahead of the Test Championship final.
While Sangakkara was among the 10 to have made the cut in June this year, his good friend Jayawardene joined him having enjoyed a stellar career across formats for Sri Lanka. Over 652 internationals, he scored 11,814 Test and 12,650 ODI runs respectively. He captained the side across formats and was also an integral member of the side that won the T20 World Cup in 2014.
“I am very grateful for the recognition and would like to enjoy and share the moment with all those that have helped me on my journey, including my family, friends, coaches, team-mates and, most importantly, Sri Lanka cricket fans who passionately supported and inspired me during my career,” Jayawardene said.
Pollock, hailing a family of cricket legends, left an indelible mark on the game himself. Over 108 Tests and 303 ODIs, he took a total of 421 and 393 wickets respectively. He also scored 7300 runs across these two formats and scored three international hundreds in all.
“I would like to thank the ICC for this recognition of my career,” Pollock said. “It’s an amazing honour to be included in the Hall of Fame alongside the very illustrious company that has already been inducted. It’s a real cherry on the top or maybe even a book end of what has been a thoroughly enjoyable cricketing experience and I’d like to thank my teammates who played such a massive part along the journey.”
Brittan, one of England’s most successful batters, has been inducted posthumously into the hall of fame. She enjoyed a Test career spanning 19 years and also top-scored in the 1992 World Cup final. She scored 10 hundreds in all and post her playing career, took up coaching at Surrey. She was subsequently awarded an MBE in 1999 before passing away aged 58 in 2017.
Reacting to the news of Brittin’s induction, Angela Bainbridge, friend of Janette Brittin said: “I along with Jan’s parents Maggie and Kevin are incredibly proud of her and her achievements and this award recognises both the player and the person that she was. You could not wish to meet a more humble or talented player and she always gave 100% whether she played for club, county, or country.”
