Former Australian cricket captain and 2015 ODI World Cup-winning skipper, has been recently inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. The announcement was made at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 23, making Clarke the 64th cricketer to receive this prestigious honor. 

Clarke made his first-class debut for New South Wales at the young age of 17. Throughout his career, he featured in 115 Tests, 245 ODIs, and 34 T20Is, scoring over 17,000 international runs. In Tests, he scored 8,643 runs, putting him sixth on Australia’s all-time list, while his ODI tally of 7,981 runs ranks him fourth.

"To be able to sit alongside so many wonderful players, idols, role models growing up as a kid and looking up to is something I'm honored by. Retirement does a lot of things to you. Through stages of watching cricket now, you miss parts. 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," Clarke said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

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The former smashed 28 Test centuries, including an unbeaten 329 against India at the SCG during the 2011-12 series. He also produced several unforgettable knocks, such as the 151 on his Test debut in Bengaluru in 2004, a magnificent 161 against South Africa in Cape Town in 2014 despite a broken shoulder, and an emotional 128 in Adelaide in 2014 shortly after the tragic death of Phillip Hughes.

As captain, Michael Clarke led Australia in 47 Tests and guided the team to significant feats. These included a 5-0 whitewash of England in the 2013-14 Ashes series and a victorious campaign in the 2015 ODI World Cup, ending in a win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground over New Zealand.

"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," the 43-year-old added.

Hall of Fame Chairman Peter King praised Clarke's contribution to Australian cricket and mentioned his heroics at the SCG. 

"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. Michael's career will forever be remembered fondly by the Australian public and his standing held alongside those at the upper echelon of our game," King said.