Michael Clarke becomes the 64th inductee to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

Former captain Michael Clarke has been formally inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. Clarke accepted the honor on Thursday, nearly a decade after he ended his illustrious playing career.

The 43-year-old becomes the 64th member of the Hall of Fame, with two more inductions set to occur this season. Clarke first represented New South Wales in first-class cricket at the age of 17 and captained Australia to victory in the International Cricket Council World Cup in 2015, having led in 47 of his 115 career tests.

The middle-order batsman burst onto the scene in Australia’s 2004 tour of India, scoring 151 in his first innings in his debut in Bangalore to be named man of the match. Clarke continued to excel, scoring an unbeaten 329 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) against India in the 2011/12 season to become the sixth Australian to score a Test triple-century.

Clarke took over the captaincy from the great Ricky Ponting in 2011. Following his SCG heroics, he went on to score another double-century in the fourth Test against India, and then two more double-centuries the following season against South Africa. At his peak, the Sydney native was rated the best batsman in the world. Clarke also led his side to a whitewash victory in the 2013-14 Ashes series before retiring after the 2015 loss in England.

Clarke said: “I feel extremely honored to be sitting alongside so many amazing players, icons and role models. Retirement brings a lot of change. You miss things when you are watching cricket. People talk about your international career when you play at the highest level but for me it all started at six years of age. I retired at 34, cricket has been my life and it is still a part of my life. Cricket is very similar to life, you score 100, then you raise the bat, then you go out to field and you drop a catch.”

Michael Clarke had a flair for the dramatic and created some of the most memorable moments in Test cricket history. Cricket Australia Hall of Fame chairman Peter King hailed Clarke as a player who "defined his era." King said in a statement: “Michael’s extraordinary first-class career began at the age of 17 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which was also the scene of many of his highlights, including his triple-century in the 2012 Test against India. Michael’s career will be forever etched in the minds of the Australian public, his place alongside the very best of our sport is well-deserved. In addition, Michael was an outstanding leader of our men’s Test and One-Day teams, achieving sustained success under his guidance.”

Clarke also demonstrated his ability as an occasional part-time leg-spin bowler. In the 2008 clash against India, he took 3-5 in 1.5 overs to help Australia retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and extend their winning streak to 16 Test matches. In his debut series in 2004, Clarke took 6 wickets in the Mumbai Test, which were his best bowling figures in his Test career.