Lohmann, Morris, Muralitharan, Rolton to be inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced that Muttiah Muralitharan, Karen Rolton, Arthur Morris and George Lohmann will be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame later this year.

Record-breaking off-spinner Muralitharan has become the first Sri Lankan player to be inducted along with twice ICC Women’s World Cup winner and former Australia women’s captain Karen Rolton, her compatriot Arthur Morris, a member of Don Bradman’s ‘invincibles’ and England’s George Lohmann, the 19th century fast bowler who took 100 wickets in just 16 Tests.

The four iconic cricketers were voted by the ICC Hall of Famers as well as members of the media. They will be presented with commemorative caps honouring their contribution to the game to mark their induction. Family members will represent Lohmann and Morris at the presentations.

Muralitaran, whose last international fixture was the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in Mumbai finished his career with 800 wickets in Tests, 534 wicket in One-Day Internationals and 13 wickets in 12 T20Is.

Lohmann, an exponent of swing bowling in the late 19th century and rated by his contemporaries as the most difficult opponent, will be the 27th Englishman in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame list. He raced to 100 Test wickets in 16 matches but tuberculosis shortened his career and he died at the age of 36 in 1901.

Morris, a stylish left-hander of the 1940s and 50s who scored 12 centuries and 12 fifties in 46 Tests between 1946 and 1955, will be the 22nd Australia cricketer in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Morris scored a total of 12,614 runs in 162 first-class matches, including 3,533 runs in Tests.

Rolton, a dynamic all-rounder in both Tests and ODIs is best remembered for her match-winning century in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2005 final.