Perth, Jan. 31: South Africa batting legend, Barry Richards, received a commemorative cap in Perth on Friday to mark his induction into ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

After presenting the cap, ICC President David Morgan said: "The word `great' is often over-used but it applied to Barry, a wonderfully gifted player"

Richards said he would cherish what he called "the ultimate accolade".

Richards received the cap from Morgan and Cricket Australia Chairman Jack Clarke in front of a sold-out WACA Ground crowd before the start of the ODI between Australia and South Africa.

Reflecting on the honour, he said: "Being inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is the ultimate accolade. It's something I'll cherish, this recognition by peers and followers of the game, especially given my limited opportunities at international level."

Richards is one of 55 players in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame's initial intake and one of two South Africans, alongside another batting giant, Graeme Pollock. And he is the second player to receive his cap after former Australia wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh.

Richards only played four Test matches. His top level career was cut short by South Africa's sporting isolation during the apartheid era. But despite that fact, his career still stands out like a beacon.

In those four matches, against Australia in 1970, he scored 508 runs at an average of 72.57, while his first-class aggregate of 28,358 runs for Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Natal, Transvaal and South Australia included 80 hundreds.

One of those hundreds came at the WACA Ground in November 1970, when he scored 325 runs in a single day, for South Australia against a Western Australia side boasting an attack of international bowlers Dennis Lillee, Tony Lock, Graham McKenzie and Tony Mann.

"He had the ability to make batting look so simple and elegant while, at the same time, making top-class bowlers look ordinary. He was a wonderfully gifted player. And after he finished playing, Barry has given a great deal back to the sport as an administrator, coach, an officer-holder of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) and an insightful commentator," Morgan said.

"Barry truly deserves this honour and I am delighted to have had the privilege to present him with his commemorative cap to mark the occasion of his induction," he added.

Further cap presentations will be made during the course of 2009, the ICC's centenary year.

The launch of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame forms part of a range of events during the ICC's centenary year of 2009. The year is intended to be a global celebration with numerous events taking place to reflect all that is great about the game. (ANI)