Michael Bevan inducted into Australia’s Hall of Fame despite not meeting criteria

Legendary finisher Michael Bevan has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame despite not fulfilling the criteria set by the governing committee. The criteria were twisted a little to allow Bevan to get into the list.

Bevan is regarded as one of the greatest finishers to have ever played the game. During his career, he was responsible for taking Australia to numerous great victories despite his team being in deep trouble.

The left-hander was a great white-ball cricketer and played key roles in Australia's historic wins in a couple of ODI World Cups. He batted in the middle and lower order in a line-up that is still regarded as the best to have ever played white-ball cricket.

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Michael Bevan elevated to Australia's Hall of Fame

Michael Bevan starred in Australia's ODI World Cup title wins in 1999 and 2003. Despite having been a world-class cricketer during his playing career, he wasn't inducted into the Hall of Fame till this point.

He was eligible for the promotion for 15 years but his limited Test appearance got in the way. The Hall of Fame committee had penalized him for a low-key Test career that included just 18 Tests.

However, Bevan's exceptional white-ball numbers forced the committee to make changes in the rules and review the selection criteria. The Hall of Fame chairman Peter King made it clear that the committee wants to recognize players who have done well in white-ball cricket as well.

"It was Michael's exceptional playing record and public standing that pushed the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame Committee to review its selection criteria," King stated.

"To ensure players who excelled in one-day or Twenty20 Internationals were equally recognised as those who shone in the Test format. Michael (Bevan) without a doubt revolutionised white-ball cricket and became a household name for his masterful batting, amazing athleticism and ability to chase down runs," he added.

"Favorite among fans" - Nick Hockley

The chief executive of Cricket Australia Nick Hockley termed Michael Bevan as the favorite among the fans for his contributions to white-ball cricket. Hockley also remembered how Bevan scored tonnes of runs in first-class cricket.

"He (Michael Bevan) was a favourite among fans with his incredible temperament and ability to deliver in pressure situations. He is a two-time World Cup winner and finished his career with one of best records in 50-over cricket," Hockley said.

"He was also one of the most prolific run-scorers in the Sheffield Shield during what was one of the strongest eras in Australian cricket," he added.

Michael Bevan's exceptional numbers

Michael Bevan played 18 Tests and 232 ODIs for Australia. While he wasn't so successful in the Test format, he emerged as a legendary cricketer in the ODI format. He scored 6912 runs at an average of 53.58 and a strike rate of 74.16 in ODIs.

Bevan struck 6 hundreds and 46 fifties in his ODI career. The four off the last ball to help Australia with a one-wicket win over West Indies at Sydney in 1996 is still remembered as one of his best moments.

Apart from this knock, the left-hander struck an unbeaten 74 against England in the ODI World Cup 2003 to take Australia to a narrow win with just two balls left in the game. Bevan was a part of Australia's team that won the ODI World Cups in 1999 and 2003 and played key roles in the team's title wins.