ST JOHN’S, Antigua: West Indies cricket legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul was announced as one of the new members of International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Hall of Fame on Tuesday afternoon in Australia.
He has joined the list of fellow cricketing icons who have received this
prestigious honour. The ICC announced Chanderpaul will be joined in the Hall
of Fame by Pakistan legendary leg-spinner Abdul Qadir and England
trailblazer Charlotte Edwards.
The left-handed Chanderpaul played at the international level for over to
two decades and is among the leading run-scorers in the game’s history. He
made his Test debut in 1994 at age 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 outstanding 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 Indies cricket stakeholders, I congratulate
Shivnarine ‘Shiv’ Chanderpaul for 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, commitment, adaptability and his resulting growth and
achievements on and off the field. His love for the game is unmatched, and
he demonstrated throughout his two decades on the field that he was the man
for all seasons.”
“From the early days in the Under-19 set-up in Guyana shiv showcased his
immense batting talent. He honed his skills and worked tirelessly to become
the number 1 ranked batsman in the world. He embodied the statement ‘heights
of great men reach and kept were not attained by sudden flight’. Shiv toiled
hard to improve and at every stage was able to re-invent his game to meet
the demands. We salute Shiv for his immense contribution to West Indies
cricket and world cricket.” Chanderpaul said:
“It’s an amazing honour to follow the footsteps of many legends and so many
other great cricketers of the past. I’m grateful for the recognition and
would like to enjoy the moment with family, friends and most importantly the
West Indies cricket fans and fans around the world who passionately
supported me 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 Weekes, Sir Frank Worrell.
