ICC Hall of Fame: Shaun Pollock

Shaun Pollock's name comes after fellow South African teammates Allan Donald and Jacques Kallis, as well as his uncle Graeme Pollock, and other countrymen Barry Richards and Aubrey Faulkner who currently grace the list of great cricketing legends on the board.

Pollock felt immensely honored after being included in the Hall of Fame. "I would like to thank the ICC for this recognition of my career," he told the ICC. "It's an amazing honour to be included in the Hall of Fame alongside the very illustrious company that has already been inducted. It's a real cherry on the top or maybe even a bookend of what has been a thoroughly enjoyable cricketing experience, and I'd like to thank my teammates who played such a massive part along the journey."

The ICC lauded Pollock for his contribution to cricket over an international career that boasts 829 dismissals. He is one of the best bowling all-rounders ever witnessed and the first cricketer to achieve the 3,000 run and 300 wicket-double in both Test and ODI cricket. Let's take a look at his achievements!

Pollock's Unmatched Bowling Prowess

A mix of pace and aggression that is brutal for batters, Pollock currently has 421 Test, 393 ODI and 15 T20I wickets to his credit. When he was 22 years of age, he already had 78 first-class wickets and his average touched 21. In 1995, he took 16 wickets over five Tests against England and in the fifth Test, he clinched the first of 16-career five-wicket hauls. In 1998, he took 69 test scalps, just behind Allan Donald's 80 wickets that year. Between 1998 and 2003, he took 274 dismissals spawning across 64 Test matches. In ODIs, his dismissals tally up to 393 at an average of 24.5 across 303 matches.

Pollock's Impressive Batting Record

Apart from his impeccable bowling skills, his batting history is also remarkable. Through the ‘90s, he averaged more than 30 in three of his first five years as a Test cricketer. In 2001 his average shot up to 52.09 after he secured 573 runs. His first Test century was recorded in his second match in the same year, a whopping 111 off 106 against Sri Lanka.

The next year, he completed 231 runs at 77, and in 2003 he secured 452 at 50.22. Seen as a powerful stoke maker, Pollock amassed 3519 runs at 26.5 in ODIs with an impressive strike rate of 86.69. He is known for scoring an unbeaten 66 in his first ODI after which he struck 10 half-centuries before making his first ODI ton 11 years post debut.

Hence, his inclusion in the ICC Hall of Fame does not stand as a surprise. It commemorates great legends of the game from cricket’s remarkable history. Since its commencement in 2009, a total of 106 players have been inducted including Pollock.