Former Pakistan Test captain Wasim Akram has been inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Hall of Fame. “The ICC and the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) have acknowledged the services to cricket of some of the all-time greats of the game with five new inductees to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Wasim Akram, Herbert Sutcliffe, Clarrie Grimmett, Victor Trumper and Steve Waugh have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, bringing the total number of players in that exclusive club to 60,” said a media release of the ICC on Wednesday.

Upon hearing the news, Wasim said in a statement that this honour was the perfect icing on the cake of a decent career. “It is a great feeling to know your contribution and achievements in this fascinating sport are being acknowledged in such a way. When I started playing cricket, it was my dream to play with the stalwarts like Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. And now to be put in the same group, which also includes legends who were inspirational and role models for every cricketer, is extremely special,” Wasim added.

“Matches against India have always been the most memorable ones for me, especially our victory at Chennai in 1999 where more than 40,000 spectators gave us a standing ovation. Victory at Melbourne in the 1992 World Cup in front of 88,000 spectators and the reception we received upon our return is something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. I am delighted and honoured to have represented my country for 18 years. I thank all my mentors, family members, fans and team-mates for helping me to join the galaxy of real superstars in this ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.”

Wasim is one of only 15 players in the history of the game to have topped 2,000 runs and taken more than 200 wickets in Tests. Of the other 14, all of those eligible to be in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame because they have not played for the past five years or more (Richie Benaud, Garfield Sobers, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee) are already members.

Wasim was man of the match in the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup final, scoring 33 from 18 balls and taking 3-49 as Pakistan beat England in Melbourne to lift the trophy for the only time in the tournament’s history. Wasim made the highest score by a number eight batsman in Test cricket  257 not out against Zimbabwe, which contained a Test-record 12 sixes. He has taken a record four hat-tricks in international cricket  two each in Tests and ODIs.

Wasim is the only man to have taken 500 wickets in ODIs and he took a total of 1,042 first-class wickets. He captained Pakistan in 25 Tests and 109 ODIs, leading them to the final of the World Cup in 1999, where they were was beaten by Australia by eight wickets at Lord’s.