Vinoo Mankad, Kumar Sangakkara among ICC Hall of Fame special inductees

The ICC inducted 10 legends of the game into its illustrious Hall of Fame, with two players each from five eras joining an existing list of 93 of the world's greatest.

Vinoo Mankad has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in the Post-War Cricket Era (1946–1970).

Vinoo Mankad, Kumar Sangakkara, Desmond Haynes, Andy Flower were among the 10 legends of the game to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame on Sunday.

In the Early Cricket Era (pre-1918), South African Aubrey Faulkner was inducted, along with Australia’s Monty Noble. In the Inter-war era (1918-1945), West Indies’ Learie Constantine and Stan McCabe of Australia were inducted.

In the 1946-1970 post era category, Ted Dexter of England and Mankad were chosen. In the ODI era, Desmond Haynes of the West Indies and late Bob Willis were named, while in the modern cricket era, Andy Flower and Kumar Sangakkara were inducted.

Flower became the first player from Zimbabwe to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

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Speaking on Vinoo Mankad’s induction, fellow ICC Hall of Fame member, Sunil Gavaskar said: “Vinoo Mankad’s legacy has been to tell the aspiring Indian cricketer to believe in oneself. He was a great proponent of self-belief. He was the one who kept saying to me that you need to keep scoring runs and keep at it.

"When you get a 100, let that be the knock on the selector’s door. If it is unheard, then score that double hundred and let that knock be even louder. You can have the best technique, but if you do not have the temperament to support it you will not succeed, you have to keep hanging in there and have that self-belief. That was the greatest lesson I learnt from him.”

This is a special edition of the ICC Hall of Fame which coincides with the first-ever World Test Championship final, to be contested between India and New Zealand, from June 18 in Southampton.

Heynes was happy to make it to the Hall of Fame. "I have played Cricket with some of the greats of the game from the West Indies who are also inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame. That team from 1978 till about the 1990s was a fantastic team. As a young boy growing up in Barbados, I never dreamt that I would be one day inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. I have really come a long way and I am very happy for this honour," he said.

"The journey was not smooth, I started playing cricket in a little area of St. James in Barbados where I was loved by everyone in the community, who also helped me stay out of trouble. This is also for my grandmother, my mum and my wife, all of whom supported me in my journey.”