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  • Five cricketing greats enter ICC Hall of Fame

    Four former England players including former captain Graham Gooch and Australia's Richie Benaud have been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

    Denis Compton, Harold Larwood and Frank Woolley are the other three British player, who were inducted into the Hall of Fame on Friday during the tea interval on the second day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

    Benaud and Gooch, along with family representatives of Compton, Larwood and Woolley were presented with their commemorative caps by ICC President David Morgan, ECB Chairman and ICC director Giles Clarke, Cricket Australia (CA) Chairman and ICC director Jack Clarke alongside MCC Secretary Keith Bradshaw in front of a large and appreciative crowd.

    One of 13 Australians to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Benaud was an outstanding leg-spinner who played in 63 Test matches. In a career that lasted 12 years, he claimed 248 wickets with a bowling average of 27.03

    He captained his side to Ashes victory over England on three successive occasions between 1958 and 1963.

    "The great thing is that there are a lot of wonderful names and wonderful players in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and it is a real privilege to be part of those names," Benaud said on the occasion.

    Briton Gooch was one of the most prolific batsmen of his time, making a total of 8,900 Test runs in 118 Tests with an average of 42.58, with 20 Test hundreds to his name.

    Gooch captained England for five years and is most remembered for his mammoth 333 runs against India in the first innings of the 1990 Lord's Test followed by 123 runs in the second innings. He still holds the record for the most runs amassed in a Test match.

    He also played in 125 ODIs, including 50 as captain, and scored 4,290 runs including eight centuries and 23 half-centuries. He captained England in 1992 World Cup where England reached the final.

    "It is a huge honour to see my name mentioned among such great names. As a player you aspire to represent your country, to perhaps one day captain your country and to do both for England was a great honour and to now be thought of in the same breath as the names in the Hall of Fame is very humbling," Gooch said while reacting to his inclusion.

    Compton was an attractive batsman known particularly for his impressive sweep shot. He played in 78 Test matches, making 5,807 runs with an average of 50.06 and 17 centuries.

    Compton's grandson and current Middlesex batsman Nick received his grandfather's commemorative cap.

    Woolley played 64 Tests for England, scoring 3, 283 runs whilst also claiming 83 Test wickets. He is the second highest run-scorer in first-class cricket with 58, 959 runs. He took over 2,000 wickets and is the only fielder to take 1,000 first-class catches

    Woolley's grandson Richard Burnett received his commemorative cap. The final inductee, Harold Larwood played 21 matches for England taking a total of 78 wickets. Larwood's daughter Enid Todd his father's cap.

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