Cricket is surely the most-watched and adored sport in the world. The game has a total of 22 players on the field, eleven players on each side. From the start of the game, the game has seen a lot of legends in making, such as Allan Border, Don Bradman, and many more. With the game involving the late 2000s, let’s talk about the Greatest Cricketers in the ICC Hall of Fame in the 21st Century.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) basically manages and operates all the events of cricket. They provide the ICC Hall of Fame award to the legends of the game who have given their all to the game and their team. It is one of the reputable awards any player could receive.
List of Greatest Cricketers in the ICC Hall of Fame in the 21st Century
There are many great players who have received this award in their careers because of their commitment and performance. Let us have a look at some of the players who were honoured with this award in the 21st century:
| Cricketer | Country | Career Span | Inducted |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | India | 2004 – 2019 | 2025 |
| Sarah Taylor | England | 2006 – 2019 | 2025 |
| Sana Mir | Pakistan | 2005 – 2019 | 2025 |
| Graeme Smith | South Africa | 2002 – 2014 | 2025 |
| Hashim Amla | South Africa | 2004 – 2019 | 2025 |
| Alastair Cook | England | 2006 – 2018 | 2024 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 1997 – 2014 | 2025 |
| Matthew Hayden | Australia | 1994 – 2009 | 2025 |
| AB de Villiers | South Africa | 2004 – 2018 | 2024 |
| Virender Sehwag | India | 1999 – 2015 | 2023 |
| Neetu David | India | 1995 – 2008 | 2024 |
| Aravinda de Silva | Sri Lanka | 1984 – 2003 | 2023 |
| Waqar Younis | Pakistan | 1989 – 2003 | 2013 |
| Anil Kumble | India | 1990 – 2008 | 2015 |
| Debbie Hockley | New Zealand | 1979 – 2000 | 2014 |
| Adam Gilchrist | Australia | 1996 – 2008 | 2013 |
| Shane Warne | Australia | 1992 – 2007 | 2013 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 1996 – 2012 | 2018 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 1995 – 2012 | 2018 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 1995 – 2014 | 2020 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 1992 – 2011 | 2017 |
| Shaun Pollock | South Africa | 1995 – 2008 | 2021 |
| Mahela Jayawardena | Sri Lanka | 1997 – 2015 | 2021 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 2000 – 2015 | 2021 |
Sachin Tendulkar (1989-2014)
He is surely the best cricketer that the game has ever seen, and there is not even a single doubt about it. Sachin made his international debut at the age of 16 and played for almost 25 years.
With more than 34,000 runs in the game, and the only player to score 100 international centuries. Sachin was also the first player ever to score a double hundred in ODIs.
Shane Warne (1992-2007)
He made his International debut against India in 1992. The spin king holds the record for the second most test wickets, 708. He was not just a normal cricketer, but his brain was very sharp, and his iconic deliveries are still remembered by every fan. The ball that he bowled to get the wicket of Mike Gatting is considered the “Ball of the Century”.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2004-2019)
MS Dhoni is undoubtedly the best ever captain in the history of the game. He made his debut against Bangladesh in 2004. The start may not be the way he wanted, but in the end, he is surely regarded as one of the greatest players of the game. MS Dhoni is the only captain to win all three ICC trophies: the World Cup, the T20 World Cup, and the Champions Trophy.
Ricky Pointing (1995-2012)
Australia has had a lot of great batters in their history, but Ricky Pointy was something different. The attitude and the anger in his eyes were enough for the bowlers to be scared.
He made his debut in 1995 against South Africa. Ponting scored more than 27,000 runs in his career and is the only captain to win the ICC World Cup three times (1999, 2003, and 2007).
Also Read: Top Indian Cricketers in ICC Hall of Fame – All-Time Legends
Brian Lara (1990-2007)
After his retirement in 2007, the record for the highest individual score in Test cricket still belongs to Brian Lara. He scored 400 runs against England. It is not it, he also holds the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket as well, scoring 501* in one innings.
He made his debut against Pakistan in 1990. He scored 375* against England in 1994, which is still the third-highest individual score in test cricket.
Muttiah Muralitharan (1992-2011)
He is the player to take the most wickets in the history of test cricket, 800. The bowling action of Muttiah Muralitharan made it a lot more difficult for the batsman to understand him.
When we combined all of his wickets, Muttiah Muralitharan is also the highest wicket-taker in the history of the game so far. He has a total of 67 5-wicket hauls and 22 10-wicket hauls, which is the most by any player.
Jacques Kallis (1995-2014)
When we talk about the all-rounders who have played cricket, we have to start the discussion with Jacques Kallis. He made his debut against England in 1995. Kallis is the only player in cricket to score 10,000 runs and get 250 wickets in both tests and ODIs. He holds the record for the most test hundreds for South Africa, 45.
Rahul Dravid (1996-2012)
The wall of Indian Cricket is Rahul Dravid. Rahul has shown us what the word patience means and why it is important in cricket. Dravid made his debut in 1996 against SriLanka.
He has faced the most deliveries in Test cricket, that is 31,258, and also holds the record for most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in Test cricket. Rahul has scored more than 24,000 international runs.
Glenn McGrath (1993-2007)
McGrath had a fourteen-year-long career, and it is remarkable for a fast bowler to do so. He made his debut against New Zealand in 1993. For a long period of time, he had the record for most wickets for a fast bowler, but the record was broken by James Anderson. He holds the record for the most wickets in the World Cup, 71 wickets.
AB de Villiers (2004-2018)
Mr 360 has made us fall in love with his personality more than his game. He made his debut in 2004 against England. AB de Villiers has scored more than 17,000 international runs.
Players like him are once-in-a-generation players. He holds the record for scoring the fastest century in One-day Internationals, 31 balls. AB brought joy to the game of cricket.
There are a lot of other players as well who aren’t mentioned in the list, who have been the legends of the game and contributed everything to make the game better. The players are Alastair Cook (England), Kumar Sangakkara (SriLanka), Anil Kumble (India), Adam Gilchrist (Australia), Chandrapaul (West Indies), Mathew Hayden (Australia), and many others.
