Neetu David becomes second Indian woman to be inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

Former India spinner Neetu David who still holds the record for the best figures 853 by a woman in an individual Test innings on Wednesday became only the second female cricketer from the country to be inducted into the ICC Hall of FameDavid the current chairman of selectors for Indian womens team enters the ICC Hall of Fame a year after the induction of former captain Diana EduljiDavid made more than 100 appearances 10 Tests and 97 ODIs for India as a prolific leftarm spinner and was inducted alongside South Africa and England legends AB de Villiers and Alastair Cook joining a long list of great cricketersThe 47yearold David is the secondhighest wickettaker for India in ODIs cricket with 141 scalps and was also the first female player from the country to claim 100 wickets in the 50over gameTopping the wickettaking list at the World Cup in 2005 to inspire her country to their firstever final is also among her standout achievementsDavid said in an ICC release It is truly an honour to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame something that I consider to be the highest recognition available to anyone who puts on their national team jerseyThis comes after a lifetime of dedication to this great sport and it caps a very special journey for me to get to this pointTo be considered a Hall of Famer alongside the greatest players that ever lived is humbling and I am thrilled to be part of this exclusive clubAlso ReadWomens cricket in Asia struggles to match Western standardsFollowing some impressive performances with the ball at domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh David won a first international appearance for India as a 17yearold in a Test against New Zealand in Nelson in 1995She impressed with four wickets in that contest and was again selected for the ODI leg of that tour as India claimed the New Zealand Womens Centenary TournamentIn late 1995 David truly rose to prominence as she recorded sensational figures of 853 iquest still the best individual bowling spell in a single innings of a womens Test iquest against England in Jamshedpur as India fell to a narrow tworun lossWhile David excelled at Test cricket with 41 wickets from 10 matches it was in ODI cricket that she performed best with 141 scalps from 97 matches at a miserly bowling average of 1634David retired from international cricket in 2006 only to reverse that decision two years later for a brief return in ODI cricket at the Asia Cup and on Indias tour of EnglandShe played her final domestic match in 2013 calling time on an illustrious career by helping Railways to the 2012iquest13 Senior Womens T20 League titleCook represented England over 250 times in international cricket making his most significant impact in the longest formatHe retired from international cricket in 2018 as Englands highest Test runscorer and centurymaker spearheading notable successes both home and away with the bat and as captainIn his 14yearlong career de Villiers hit over 20000 international runs across all three formatsDe Villiers fondly known as Mr 360 excelled in Test and T20I cricke while setting South African records for the fastest fifty century and 150 in ODI cricket to earn a reputation of being one of the most feared destructive batters in the history of the gameThe ICC Hall of Fame was launched in January 2009 as part of the global governing bodys centenary celebrationsThe Class of 2024 will be celebrated in a special series of engagements in Dubai this week coinciding with the conclusion of the Womens T20 World CupICC Chief Executive Officer Geoff Allardice said Once again we find ourselves celebrating not only truly great players but elite innovators recordbreakers and passionate competitors that excelled on the field of play during their glittering international careersBeyond their remarkable statistics spanning all formats of the game all three have made significant contributions to the way the game is played today and are worthy additions to the ICC Hall of Fame