Cricket West Indies (CWI) President, Ricky Skerritt, has paid tribute to Desmond Haynes and the late Sir Learie Constantine, who are to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame later this month. The two are among 10 cricketers from across five eras who will be inducted.

“This is another special day in West Indies cricket history as these two exemplars of the wonderful game of cricket, have been honoured globally through the ICC Hall of Fame – true indicators of their performance and their impact,” Skerritt said.

“Sir Learie Constantine was the quintessential West Indian cricketer – a lively fast bowler, attacking batsman and superb fielder, a man who took to the field on that famous day at Lord’s 93 years ago when the West Indies started the challenging but exciting journey as a Test nation.

He embodied what we as West Indians value most in our players – dedication, commitment and strength of character. After his playing days were over he also made his name as a popular lawyer and politician, with a dedication to serving and improving the lives of others.”

With regards to Haynes, who will now be enshrined alongside his opening partner Gordon Greenidge, Skerritt, described the Barbadian as being integral to the success of the West Indies team that dominated the world for almost two decades.

“Desmond’s cricket career showed early promise as a member of the Barbados U19 team. It wasn’t long before he shot onto the world stage with a sensational century and never looked back. He was an opening batsman and a close-to-the-wicket fielder par excellence, and together with Gordon Greenidge set the standard for how the new ball should be played,” the CWI president said.

“Out in the middle, Desmond was lion-hearted and never surrendered no matter the circumstances. As an integral and valued member of the West Indies all-conquering team, he proudly represented Barbados and the West Indies and opened doors for many others to follow.”

The duo now joins a list of West Indians Hall of Famers that comprise Sir Curtly Ambrose, Joel Garner, Lance Gibbs, Sir Gordon Greenidge, Sir Wes Hall, George Headley, Michael Holding, Rohan Kanhai, Brian Lara, Sir Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, Sir Viv Richards, Sir Andy Roberts, Sir Garry Sobers, Courtney Walsh, Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Everton Weekes, and Sir Frank Worrell.