West Indies cricket legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul was announced as one of the new members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame on Tuesday afternoon in Australia (Monday night Caribbean time).
He has joined the list of fellow cricket icons who have received this prestigious honour. The ICC announced that Chanderpaul will be joined in the Hall of Fame by Pakistan legend Abdul Qadir and English painter Charlotte Edwards.
Left-hander Chanderpaul played at the international level for more than two decades and is among the leading run-scorers in the history of the game. He made his Test debut in 1994 aged 19 against England at Bourda in his native Guyana. He played 164 Test matches – the most by a West Indian – and scored 11,867 runs at an average of 51.37, which included 30 centuries.
He also played 268 One Day Internationals and made 8,778 runs with 11 centuries at an average of 41.60; while in 22 T20 internationals he made 343 runs. His first-class career was remarkable with 27,545 runs in 385 matches at an average of over 53. He had 77 centuries including a career best of 303 not out for Guyana against Jamaica.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) president and ICC director Ricky Skerritt paid tribute to Chanderpaul.
“On behalf of all West Indian cricketers, I congratulate Shivnarine ‘Shiv’ Chanderpaul on receiving the highest honor of his career to date. Shiv’s story exemplifies all that is good about him and the game of cricket – his hard work, dedication, adaptability and his resulting growth and achievements on and off the field. His love for the game is unmatched and he showed during his two decades on the pitch that he was the man for all seasons.”
“From his early days in the U-19 set-up in Guyana, shiv displayed his exceptional batting talent. He honed his skills and worked tirelessly to become the No. 1 ranked batsman in the world. He epitomized the statement “the heights that great men reach and hold are not attained by sudden flight.” Shiv worked hard to improve and at every stage was able to reinvent his game to meet the demands. We salute Shiv for his outstanding contribution to West Indies cricket and world cricket.”
Chanderpaul said, “It is a tremendous honor to follow in the footsteps of many legends and many other great cricketers of the past. I am grateful for the recognition and would like to enjoy the moment with my family, friends and most importantly the fans and West Indies cricket fans around the world who have supported me passionately throughout my career.”
West Indians previously inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame: Sir Curtly Ambrose, Sir Learie Constantine, Joel Garner, Lance Gibbs, Sir Gordon Greenidge, Sir Wes Hall, The Most Hon. Desmond Haynes, George Headley, Michael Holding, Rohan Kanhai, Brian Lara, Sir Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, Sir Viv Richards, Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Garry Sobers, Courtney Walsh, Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Everton Weeks, Sir Frank Worrell.
