Michael Clarke gets once-in-a-lifetime honour by Cricket Australia
Published - 23 Jan 2025, 10:40 AM | Updated - 23 Jan 2025, 11:35 PM
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Former Australian captain and one of the greatest batters, Michael Clarke, has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame on Wednesday, January 23, at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
The 43-year-old becomes the 64th cricketer to receive this prestigious honor. Michael Clarke represented Australia in 115 Tests, 245 ODIs, and 34 T20Is, amassing over 17,000 runs during his remarkable 12-year international career.
Michael Clarke Honored with Australian Cricket Hall of Fame induction at SCG
As captain, Clarke had led the Australia National Cricket Team to unforgettable victories, including a 5-0 Ashes sweep in 2013-14 and the 2015 ODI World Cup triumph at home before calling time on his career.
After being inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, Michael Clarke expressed his gratitude and shared how honored he feels to join the list of legendary players he looked up to as a child. Clarke also said that he might have retired from the game, but it is still part of his life.
Michael Clarke was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “To be able to sit alongside so many wonderful players, idols, and role models growing up as a kid and looking up to is something I'm honored by. Retirement does a lot of things to you. Through stages of watching cricket now, you miss parts. When you play at the highest level, people talk about your international career, but for me, it started at six years of age. I retired at 34, so it was my life. It's still a part of my life.”
Michael Clarke compares cricket to life in a beautiful way
The former Australian skipper also compared cricket to life, saying it’s full of ups and downs. Clarke explained, “Cricket—it's probably so similar to life in general. You walk out and make 100 and then lift the bat, and then you walk out to the field, a field in slip, and drop a catch on the second ball of the game.”
Meanwhile, Hall of Fame chairman Peter King stated: “Michael's extraordinary first-class playing career started at just 17 at the SCG - the place where many of his highlights occurred, including a Test triple century against India in 2012. Michael's career will forever be remembered fondly by the Australian public and his standing held alongside those at the upper echelon of our game.”
Notably, Michael Clarke made his Test debut against India in 2004 and went on to play 115 Tests for the Australian cricket team, with his final appearance in whites coming against England at The Oval in 2015. He has 8643 test runs with the highest score of 329* to his name.
Michael Clarke's career highlight
The former Australian skipper smashed 27 fifties and 28 hundreds in his Test career, during which he led the side in 47 Test matches. He is the sixth all-time highest Test run scorer for Australia and the sixth player to have the most number of Test centuries.
One of the major highlights of Clarke’s career was his comeback triple ton. After being dropped from the side, he made a dominant comeback in late 2005. Clarke etched his name in history with an unbeaten 329 against India at the SCG during the 2011-12 series. With this knock, the right-handed batter became the sixth Australian to score a Test triple-century.
The Aussie great followed it with a double century in the same series against India and two more against South Africa the next season. Among his most memorable knocks were a gritty 151 against South Africa in 2011 as he rescued Australia after they were bowled out for 47 and his heroic 161 in 2014 at Cape Town, where he batted with a broken shoulder to push Australia to the No. 1 spot.
His emotional 128 against India in Adelaide in 2014, shortly after Phillip Hughes' tragic passing, remains a fitting tribute to his final home Test and his former teammate. Clarke also enjoyed a memorable ODI journey, amassing 7981 runs with the help of 8 hundreds and 58 fifties in 245 ODIs. He also represented Australia in 34 T20Is and scored 488 runs.
His domestic cricket numbers are also remarkable. The former Australian skipper has 13826 first-class runs in 188 matches, 9905 List-A runs in 313 games, and 737 runs in 46 T20s to his name
