New Zealand cricket great Daniel Vettori has become the fourth Kiwi to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
The former Black Caps skipper joins fellow greats Sir Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe and Debbie Hockley after being named in the latest list of additions.
Vettori was named alongsideSouth African duo Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, Indian star MS Dhoni and Australian opener Matthew Hayden.
Women’s greats Sana Mir, of Pakistan, and England’s Sarah Taylor were also inducted.
“Looking at the past inductees of the ICC Hall of Fame, one can see the outstanding talent and contribution they made to the growth and popularity of the game. To gain recognition alongside them is simply overwhelming and I can’t find words to describe the feeling,” Vettori said.
Vettori is the youngest man to play test cricket for New Zealand, making his debut against England in 1997 as an 18-year-old. He played for 18 years across the three formats - 113 tests, 295 ODIs and 34 Twenty20s for New Zealand. His final match was the 2015 World Cup final, after playing a key role in helping the Black Caps reach the final for the first time.
Vettori became an invaluable part of the New Zealand team for a decade and a half, becoming one of just three players to achieve the 4000 run/300 wicket test double. He took over as national captain from Stephen Fleming and led the team to the final of ICC Champions Trophy 2009 and two other ICC semifinals.
