Former Proteas captain Graeme Smith and long-time teammate Hashim Amla were both inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame at a glittering ceremony held in London.
The two Proteas legends were among seven former players to be inducted, along with Australia’s Matthew Hayden, former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori, and ex-India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Greame Smith addresses the media during the CSA Press Conference in 2019 (Pic – BackpagePix)
Sana Mir and Sarah Taylor were the two former women’s players on the list, bringing the total number of ICC Hall of Fame inductees to 122.
Smith became the first player to captain his side in more than a hundred Tests and to more than 50 victories.
He led the Proteas to multiple Test series wins in Australia and won the ICC Test mace in early 2013 while scoring 9,265 runs at an average of 48.25 in 117 Tests.
Smith said: “It feels amazing to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame alongside some legendary cricketers, all of whom have made significant contributions to the game in their own way.
“This is also a proud moment for South Africa, as two of us have got recognition this year.”
Amla was the first Proteas batter to score a triple century in Test cricket when he struck an unbeaten 311 against England at The Oval in 2012, he ended as the second-leading run-scorer for his country in the longer form of the game.
He led South Africa in 14 Tests, captaining them to victory against Sri Lanka in his first series as permanent captain. He was equally efficient in ODI cricket, where he is still the fastest to reach 6,000 and 7,000 runs.
He said: “It is an honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, especially alongside Graeme.
“The Hall of Fame includes some of the most celebrated players in the history of cricket, all of whom have big achievements. Such recognition feels surreal, and I am really thankful.”
