In a ceremony on Monday, Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith were inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Smith is considered not only South Africa’s greatest cricket captain, but also one of the greatest leaders the game has produced. Smith played 117 Test matches for South Africa and was captain in 109 of them: a record which still stands. He was appointed as captain in 2003, when he was only 22 years old.
He led South Africa to its first-ever away Test series win in Australia, and its first Test series win in England in over 40 years.
He scored just over 9,000 runs in Test matches, with an average of just under 50. He has also played nearly 200 ODIs.
Amla, who was a key member of Smith’s successful Test side, played 124 Tests, scoring over 9,000 runs with an average of 46. He holds the record for the highest score by a South African in a Test: 311 not out, which he scored in 2012 against England at the Oval in London. This remains the only triple hundred scored by a South African in Tests. He also played 189 ODIs with an average of nearly 50, making him one of the formats finest batters.
Amla was quoted as saying it was an “honour” to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, while Smith said it was a “proud moment for South Africa”.
A number of other cricketing legends were added to the Hall of Fame on Monday. These included New Zealand all-rounder, Daniel Vettori, Australian opening batter, Matthew Hayden, and Indian wicketkeeper-batter, MS Dhoni.
Amla and Smith join seven other South Africans in the Hall of Fame – Aubrey Faulkner, Barry Richards, Graeme Pollock, Shaun Pollock, Allan Donald, Jacques Kallis, and AB de Villiers.