5 Players who could be inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame has been one of the most prestigious awards and recognizes the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history. This concept was introduced in the year 2009 with the induction of 55 great players of yesteryear.

Former India captain Rahul Dravid and Australian legend Ricky Ponting were recently inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame for their incredible contribution towards the game. Dravid was the fifth Indian player to join the elite list. ICC has laid down the criteria for each category.

For a batsman to qualify, he should have recorded at least 8,000 runs and 20 centuries in any of the two major formats (Tests and One-Day Internationals) or should average over 50 in either.

For the bowlers at least 200 wickets are required in any one of the formats, but their strike-rate in Tests should be 50 and 30 in ODIs. Wicket-keepers are also eligible if they have accounted for 200 dismissals in either or both the formats. For captains, he must have led his side in at least 25 Tests or 100 ODIs with a win percentage of 50 percent or more in either or both.

Based on the above criteria let us find out which players could make it to the elite list.

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#5 Sourav Ganguly (India)

Under Ganguly's captaincy, India became world-beaters and dominated the opposition teams

Sourav Ganguly was the shining light for team India after the match-fixing scandal in 1999. Under his leadership, the Indian team scaled new heights and also won matches on foreign soil. He also led the team into the World Cup finals in 2003 and were the joint winners in Champions Trophy 2002.

The Prince of Kolkata had captained the team in 49 Tests which they won 21 and lost 13 matches. In the ODI format, he led them in 147 matches out of which they won 76 with a healthy winning rate of 51.7 % which also satisfies one of the required criteria.

Besides captaincy, Ganguly was outstanding with the bat in ODIs scoring 11363 runs in 311 matches and also scored 22 centuries. In the Test, he scored over 7000 runs and had 16 centuries to his name.

Based on his ODI record both with the bat and captaincy he fulfills the criteria and could be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame soon.

#4 Jacques Kallis (South Africa)

Jacques Kallis has been one of the greatest match-winner for South Africa

Jacques Kallis is regarded as one of the best all-rounders to have played this game. He was a match-winner for South-Africa both with the ball and with the bat.

In 166 Tests, the South-African all-rounder took 292 wickets at an average of 32.65 with the ball, and in batting, he scored 13289 runs at a staggering average of 55.37 with 45 centuries to his name. In the ODI format, he has accumulated 11579 in 328 matches with 17 centuries and picked up 273 wickets also.

Kallis is one of the few players only to score 10,000 runs in both the formats of the game. With his invaluable contribution towards the game both with the bat and ball, he will surely get enrolled in the elite list soon.

#3 Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)

Mahela was one of the strong pillars of the Sri Lankan team

Mahela Jayawardene is one of the iconic players in the Island nation. He has been a prolific run scorer and a great leader for the team. In fact, he is the first Sri Lankan batsman to score 10,000 runs each in both Tests and ODI format.

Jayawardene has represented the national team in 149 Tests where he has scored 11814 runs at an amazing average of 49.84 and 34 centuries. In 448 ODIs, he has accounted for 12650 runs with 19 centuries to his name.

Jayawardene is a perfect role-model for aspiring cricketers and has been a shrewd cricketer throughout his career. He had retired from international cricket in 2014 and would get into the ICC Hall of Fame next year for his invaluable contribution towards the game.

#2 Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

Sangakkara has scored over 10000 runs both in Tests and One-day formats

Over 25000 runs in the international cricket, Kumar Sangakkara is not only a legend for the Sri Lankan team but also for the whole cricketing world. Besides his batting, he was an outstanding wicket-keeper for the national team and accounted for 633 dismissals in both the formats.

Sangakkara had an incredible record in Test and scored 12400 runs in 134 Tests at an amazing average of 57.40 with 38 centuries. With 14234 ODI runs he is only behind the great Sachin Tendulkar with total runs scored.

The stylish left-hander has been an astute thinker of the game and also a great leader for the Sri Lankan team. He also led them to World Cup 2011 finals. He played a pivotal role for the Island nation, and there is no doubt that he will be featuring in the ICC Hall of Fame.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Sachin Tendulkar retired from international cricket in 2013

Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsmen of this generation and the leading run scorer in Tests, with 15921 runs in 200 matches at an average of 53.79.

In the ODI format, Master Blaster had scored 18426 runs in 463 matches at an average of 44.83 with 49 centuries to his name. In many ways, he has redefined cricket with his batting and had taken Indian cricket to new heights.

After Rahul Dravid go into the ICC Hall of Fame, many people were surprised to see Sachin missing in the elite list. Though he fulfills all the criteria for the award, there is one more clause that is the player who will be inducted have not played any international level in five years.

Since Sachin retired in November 2013, he has not yet completed five years of retirement. He will be eventually inducted into the list once he completes the required tenure.