Former Australia women’s captain Belinda Clark and former Australia batsman Mark Waugh were be inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame (ACHoF) at the 2014 Allan Border Medal in Sydney.
ACHoF chairman Mr David Crow today announced that Waugh and Clark were the selection committee’s choice for induction this year.
“This is a special year as we induct our first female, Belinda Clark, into the Hall of Fame,” Mr Crow said. “Women’s cricket continues to emerge as a very important part of Australian cricket and the time is right for us to recognise the wonderful feats of some of our women on the international stage. Belinda’s performances have been outstanding and she is clearly the most dominant Australian women’s cricketer of the modern era.”
Mark Waugh now joins his brother Steve in the Hall of Fame, making them the second set of brothers to do so, behind Ian and Greg Chappell.
“Mark Waugh’s career provided us with many brilliant moments, which millions of spectators have had the honour to witness,” said Mr Crow. “Whether batting, bowling or fielding, playing Tests or ODIs, he was a joy to watch.”
Two of the finest players of their generation, Waugh and Clark share a special milestone, playing their first Tests and scoring centuries on debut a day apart in January 1991– Waugh making 138 against England at Adelaide Oval on 25 January in 1991 and Clark 104 the following day against India at North Sydney.
For more than a decade the pair then set about helping the Australian men’s and women’s teams develop into two of the dominant sporting teams of the era.
- Iain Mullan / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
An outstanding batsmen and brilliant fieldsman, Waugh becomes the 38th man inducted into the Hall of Fame. In a 12-year international career, he played a significant role in Australia’s rise to the top of world cricket, including the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup and a run of 16 successive Test victories between October 1999 and February 2001.
Waugh is one of six Australian men to score more than 8000 Test runs while his 20 Test centuries is the 11th highest by an Australian. He and brother Steve are the only siblings to have represented Australia in 100 Test matches.
In ODIs he formed a lethal opening partnership with Adam Gilchrist and in 96 matches opening the innings together, the pair scored 3959 runs with eight century partnerships and a high of 206 against the West Indies at the Gabba in January 2001. Waugh’s 18 ODI centuries are second highest for an Australian and ninth all-time.
Belinda Clark is the first woman inducted into the ACHoF after a peerless international career. For 14 years she dominated women’s cricket and led Australia to an era of dominance including the 1997 and 2005 ICC Women’s World Cups.
A prolific run scorer at the top of the order, her individual performances stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the very best in world cricket, highlighted by an unbeaten 229 against Denmark in the 1997 World Cup. It’s a performance that ranks as the highest individual score in a one-day international by a man or woman.
Clark’s 4844 ODI runs are the most by an Australian woman and second of all-time, while she’s one of only four women in world cricket to have averaged more than 45 with the bat in both Tests and ODIs.
Clark embodied Australian women’s cricket during a period of significant change for the women’s game, leading the team to an incredible 83 wins from 101 matches. In 2011, she became the second woman inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
He is also the presenter of the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire every Tuesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author, a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications and a complete cricket badger!
Latest posts by James Buttler (see all)
- #UAE15: Bon voyage Derbyshire as Champions Yorkshire land in Abu Dhabi - March 13, 2015
- Sussex sign Mahela Jayawardene for NatWest T20 Blast - March 13, 2015
- #CWC15: Shami books India into World Cup quarter after West Indies win - March 6, 2015
