2015 World Cup winning captain Michael Clarke gets inducted into Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

Michael Clarke scored over 17000 runs for Australia.

The legendary Australian batsman and former captain Michael Clarke was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame on Thursday (January 23) at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where he made his first-class debut for for New South Wales at the age of 17 in the 1999/00 season.

The 43-year-old is the 64th inductee in the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, and two more members will be named this season.

Clarke made his international debut in 2003. He went on to play 115 tests, 245 ODIs and 34 T20Is. The right-handed batsman amassed 17112 international runs. He averaged 49 in tests and 44 in ODIs.

Michael Clarke registered 28 test centuries and eight ODI centuries

His highest test score was 329*, which he made at the SCG against India in the 2011/12 series.

Among Clarke’s biggest achievements were leading Australia to victory in the 2013/14 Ashes series and the 2015 World Cup.

“To be able to sit along so many wonderful players, idols, role models growing up as a kid and looking up to is something I’m honoured by. Retirement does a lot of things to you. Through stages of watching cricket now, you miss parts,” Clarke said.

“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. 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 field, field in slip and drop a catch second ball of the game.”

Peter King, the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame chairman, lavished high praise for Clarke, saying that he “defined his generation”.

“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,” King said.

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