Western Suburbs congratulates Michael Clarke on being inducted into Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
Western Suburbs District Cricket Club Sydney | January 24, 2025
Since the inception of Test cricket in 1877, until the 23rd of January 2025, only 469 men and 184 women have had the honour of playing for Australia.
Michael Clarke is one of those fortunate few to wear the baggy green cap, and now he has been inducted into an even more select group as only the 64th member of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
The numbers ‘23’ and ‘64’ are extremely significant to Michael, as 23 is the number he wore in Tests, passed on to him by Shane Warne, and 64 was the number worn by his “little brother” Phillip Hughes.
Michael’s cricket career started at Western Suburbs at age 13 in the 1994-95 AW Green Shield competition, where Michael played for three seasons, predominantly as a left-arm leg spinner.
His father, Les, had been a Magpie and urged Michael to join Wests, despite strong interest from other clubs. Michael joined Mark ‘Test Match’ Russell’s fifth-grade team in 1995–96. The nickname ‘Test Match’ was appropriate to Russell, as he played every game as if it was a test. The competitive Clarke thrived in this ideal environment, presenting his list of aspirations to a very impressed fifth-grade skipper early on. The aspirations were to become prophecy: the boy had plotted his own pathway to manhood in the game of cricket.
Clarke debuted as West's first-grade player, #572, on December 13th, 1997, versus St. George. At the age of 16, he was still primarily a spinner who batted in the lower order for the team. His captain was current Wests President Michael Swan.
However, by 1999 he was playing for NSW, and by October 2004 he made his Test debut with an impressive 151 at Bangalore on Australia’s tour of India. Michael would achieve every schoolboy’s dream by captaining his country between 2011 and 2015.
Across a 115 Test match career, Michael amassed 8,643 runs, including 28 Test centuries, at an average of 49.10. He also managed to take ‘5fa’ on two memorable Test match occasions.
His array of awards includes the Allan Border Medal, which he won four times, and Michael was named as Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year in 2010 and 2012.
Clarke’s batting feats are almost endless, topped by the still SCG record Test score of 329 not out versus India in January 2012. It’s also the highest score in test history by a player batting at number 5. He shares with Don Bradman and Wally Hammond the distinction of making a triple and a double century in the same series. Michael holds the record for the Gabba’s highest score, 259 not out versus South Africa in 2012. He is the only Test batsman to reach four double centuries in a single calendar year.
For Western Suburbs, in 61 first-grade matches, Clarke tallied 2,517 runs at 42.66, with a top score of 205 not out against Parramatta in 2005-06. He collected 39 wickets at 37.13, with a best of 5/62 versus North Sydney in 1998–99. Overall, Michael played a neat 100 games for the Magpies in all grades, including 107 innings for 3,426 runs at 36.45, and his bowling yielded 112 wickets at 26.07. He took 27 catches.
Michael Clarke AO now joins two other Wests Greats in the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame: Alan Davidson AM MBE (inducted in 2004) and Bob Simpson AO (2006).
On behalf of President Michael Swan, the Western Suburbs Board of Directors, coaches, players, and all supporters, there is great pride in congratulating Michael Clarke. This is a well-deserved national honour for a man who remembers those who joined him on the journey and continues to be a source of pride and inspiration to all of us.
