Former Caribbean fiery fast bowler Wesley Hall was inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame.
Hall received his commemorative cap from fellow Hall of Famer Courtney Walsh during lunch on the opening day of the second Test between the West Indies and Australia at Sabina Park on Thursday.
Also present at the ceremony were ICC Director and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president Dave Cameron, Clive Lloyd and Everton Weekes.
Hall is the fourth cricketer this year to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after Betty Wilson, Anil Kumble and Martin Crowe, who were inducted earlier this year during the World Cup.
He also became the 18th West Indian and the 79th overall cricketer to be inducted in the list of all the greats who have been awarded the honour as a reward to their service to the sport.
“I feel privileged and indeed honoured to be given this tremendous award. I have noted the list and it has some tremendous cricketers – heroes who have made the game what it is today. I am humbled to be included among these many greats of the game,” said Hall.
“Anytime you get these kind of encomiums, it is memorable. It is fantastic to receive the award in the West Indies and in front of adoring fans, which makes it even more special.”
I have represented the West Indies as a cricketer, as the team manager, and as the president of WICB, so I will treat this as something I value and will always remember,” Hall said.
Born on September 12, 1937, in St. Michael, Barbados, Hall played 48 Tests from 1958 to 1969 in which he took 192 wickets, including five wickets in an innings nine times and 10 wickets in a match on one occasion. He is also the first West Indies bowler to claim a hat-trick.
A tall, strong and powerfully built man, Hall was a genuine fast bowler and despite his very long run up, he was renowned for his ability to bowl long spells. Hall’s opening bowling partnership with fellow Barbadian Charlie Griffith was a feature of the strong West Indies teams throughout the 1960s.
After his playing days Hall entered Barbadian politics, serving in both the Barbados Senate and House of Assembly and appointed Minister of Tourism in 1987. He was also involved in the administration of West Indies cricket as a selector and team manager and served as President of the West Indies Cricket Board from 2001 to 2003. Hall was later ordained a minister in the Christian Pentecostal Church. He is also a member of the West Indies Cricket Hall of Fame. In 2012 he was created a Knight Bachelor for services to sport and the community.