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 andachievements 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.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP