The International Cricket Council (ICC) inadvertently committed a huge blunder in their Hall of Fame inductees while listing New Zealand legends, late Martin Crowe, Sir Richard Hadlee, and Debbie Hockley as Australians on the website.
While the profiles of the three great Kiwi cricketers were error-free and concise, it was the wrong nationality that caught the attention of some eagle-eyed fans. They even had the Australian flags next to their profiles.
Late Martin Crowe was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015, and held the record for the highest Test individual score for some time, scoring 299 against Sri Lanka. It was later bettered by Brendon McCullum, who made 302 against India.
Crowe’s player bio reads “Arguably New Zealand’s greatest batsman, Martin Crowe led the line for the Black Caps for 13 years. His 299 was the highest Test score by a Kiwi for over a decade, and he led the side to a semi-final appearance at the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup.”
Further examination reveals that New Zealand greats Sir Richard Hadlee (2009 inductee) and Debbie Hockley (2014) have suffered the same treatment, listed as Australian.
Hadlee, considered to be part of the four greatest all-rounders of the 1980s along with Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, and Imran Khan, was listed as Australian as well. However, in another mistake there is no mention of his knighthood.
"One of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, Richard Hadlee spearheaded New Zealand's attack for 17 years. He was the first bowler to reach 400 Test wickets, and finished with 431 Test wickets at an outstanding average of 22.29, with 36 5-wicket hauls," Hadlee's profile read.
Debbie Hockley was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2014 and was the fourth woman cricketer to receive this honor.
"A giant in New Zealand women's cricket, Debbie Hockley had a prolific international career. In Tests, she scored 1,301 runs at an average of 52.04, while in ODIs, she scored 4,064 runs at an average of 41.89," was written on her profile with the same glaring error.
This begs the question of how such an apparent error could occur--the Australian flag being prominently displayed while referencing New Zealand in the bios--or how New Zealand has three representatives in the Hall of Fame but no part on the website.
