SYDNEY, Australia (CMC):

The International Cricket Council (ICC) named 13 West Indies players to its Cricket Hall of Fame, which it launched yesterday as part of the ICC's centenary year celebrations.

The ICC announced a list of 55 players for induction and the West Indians as they appear on the ICC's list in alphabetical order are Lance Gibbs, Gordon Greenidge, George Headley, Michael Holding, Rohan Kanhai, Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Garfield Sobers, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell.

Greatest achievers

Speaking at the launch of the centenary year celebrations, the ICC's Chief Executive Officer, Haroon Lorgat, said the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame would provide the chance for the game to recognise its greatest achievers.

"Given a key theme of the ICC's centenary year is celebrating the game's heritage, then the foundation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is an entirely logical step," Lorgat said.

"It will provide a means of recognising the historical contribution of past players, officials and even institutions in making cricket what it is today, a great sport with a great spirit," Lorgat added.

Headley, who died at age 74 in 1983, was the first great West Indies player and the Jamaican right-hander is widely regarded as one of the finest batsmen of all time in world cricket.

He was Wisden's Cricketer of the Year in 1934 and finished his career with an exceptional average of 60.83, the third highest - behind Don Bradman and Graeme Pollock - of any player with a completed career.

Magnificent

Several of the West Indies inductees, including the great Sir Garfield Sobers, had emerged during the 1950s and 60s and combined to superbly lift the profile of West Indies cricket.

Sir Garfield made his Test debut as a 17-year-old against England at Sabina Park in Kingston in 1954 and went on to achieve the most outstanding all-round career in cricket's history. At age 21, he stroked a magnificent world record 365 not out against Pakistan.

Others from that era included Sir Frank Worrell and Sir Clyde Walcott, both deceased and Sir Everton Weekes, the 3Ws, who were all knighted for their brilliant careers, batting stylist Kanhai and Gibbs, the legendary off-spinner.

The other West Indies inductees all flourished during the most glorious years of West Indies cricket, when the Caribbean rose in the mid 1970s to the top of the ladder in world cricket through the efforts of captain Lloyd and a team of gifted and highly motivated players.

Lloyd led a side that included magnificent batsmen, Sir Vivian Richards and Greenidge and a battery of feared fast bowlers that conquered all international teams and copped back-to-back World Cup titles in 1975 and 1979.

Holding, Roberts and the late Marshall steamrolled opposition during the 1970s and 80s and complete the list of West Indies inductees in the ICC's Hall of Fame.

The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame has been formed in association with the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), as part of the ICC's centenary year celebrations.

The ICC said its initial intake of 55 inductees will be supple-mented by a select group of inductions each year, starting in 2009 when the newcomers will be announced during the LG ICC Awards ceremony.

Commemorative cap

The initial inductees - or, in the case of those who have passed away, their elatives - will be presented with a commemorative ICC Cricket Hall of Fame cap at an appropriate stage during the ICC centenary year.

And those living members of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame will also have the chance to help choose new inductees, part of an inclusive selection process.

"We have studied numerous halls of fame in other sports to see what works and what doesn't and how best we can achieve our goal, to recognise the game's greatest achievers," Lorgat said.

"We want to ensure that as many of the game's stakeholders as possible, including current ICC Cricket Hall of Famers and members of the public, get the chance to have their say in the process of choosing the game's true legends," he added.

FICA Chief Executive, Tim May, said that he was delighted that FICA and the ICC had agreed to invigorate the FICA Hall of Fame concept and enter a joint venture to launch a fresh Hall of Fame, to be known as the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, in association with FICA.

"FICA believes it is important to honour the outstanding contri-butions many individuals have made to the game," May said.

Several inductees reacted positively to their inclusion, including the former Australia captain and India coach, Greg Chappell.

"Like many other youngsters growing up in Australia I dreamed of emulating the feats of my boyhood heroes Neil Harvey, Richie Benaud, Norman O'Neill, Ray Lindwall and the greatest cricketer in my time, Sir Garfield Sobers, so, to be recognised alongside some of the greats of the game is a great honour," Chappell said.

Ex-India captain Sunil Gavaskar said: "To be recognised by the premier authority in the game, the ICC and that, too, in its centenary year, is an honour indeed. It is a privilege and I am overwhelmed and humbled to be included in such august company as Sir Donald Bradman and the one and only Sir Garry Sobers."