Australian cricket legend Michael Bevan has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

Former Australian star cricketer Michael Bevan, one of Australia's greatest ODI batters, has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame for the year 2024-25 after a change in the selection criteria. 

Cricket Australia (CA) said that the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame Committee and the Melbourne Cricket Club have reviewed the rules to make sure all formats of the game from different ears are equally recognized. According to the updated selection critetia, the players can now be inducted either as a player or in the general catergory. 

Michael Bevan has become the 66th player to join the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, and he is the third player to be inducted this season. The other two Australian players, Michael Clarke and Christina Matthews, have also been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.

The Chairman of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, Peter King explained the reason for the change, "Michael’s incredible career and impact on the game made us rethink the selection process. It was important to recognize players who dominated One-Day and T20 cricket, just like we do for Test players."

“Michael completely changed the way white-ball cricket was played. His smart batting, quick running, and ability to finish games made him a household name. In the late 90s and early 2000s, you couldn’t think of One-Day Internationals without thinking of Bevan. His performances made fans rush to the stadiums or turn on their TVs. That’s the kind of influence he had on cricket in Australia and around the world.” Peter King added.

Michael Bevan was the top-ranked batter in the ICC ODI rankings for 1,259 days between 1999 and 2002. In his ODI career, he played 232 matches and scored 6,912 runs at an amazing average of 53.58. He has six centuries and 48 half-centuries in his ODI career. Michael Bevan was also part of Australia's World Cup-winning teams in 1999 and 2003. 

Athe time of his retirement Bevan had the third-highest batting average in men's ODI history. He was not only good at batting, he also took 36 wickets at an average of 45.97 in ODIs.

The CEO of Cricket Australia, Nick Hockley also praised Bevan's achievements "Michael Bevan was a game-changer and the original finisher in one-day cricket. Fans loved him for his calmness under pressure and his ability to guide Australia to victory in tough situations. He won two World Cups and finished his career with one of the best records in 50-over cricket. He was also a top run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield during one of the strongest periods in Australian cricket."

Michael Bevan Batting Career Stats

Michael Bevan Bowling Career Stats

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