Michael Clarke made honorary life member of MCC
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has been made an honorary life member of the Marylebone Cricket Club. Clarke who captained Australia to a World Cup win in 2015 became the 4th Australian after Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Ricky Ponting to be awarded the lifetime membership.
Based in London, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in the year 1877 and is based at the Lord’s cricket ground. MCC was the former governing body of cricket both in England and Wales and worldwide. In the year 1993, many of its global functions were transferred to ICC.
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MCC remains the copyright holder for the Laws of cricket and its inception was in the year 1788. Since then the laws have been modified a number of times.
MCC has 18,000 full members and 6000 associate members who are given special rights to use the Pavilion and other stands at Lord’s for all the matches played in the stadium.
Some eminent cricketers are awarded the Honorary Life membership and some current honorary life members include Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Akram, Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and many others. Michael Clarke made the latest entry in this elite group featuring many other cricketing greats.
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Michael Clarke made his Test debut for Australia against India in the year 2005 and within few years he became a reliable middle order batsman. He started scoring runs all round the world and was handed the Australian captaincy in the year 2011 after Ricky Ponting’s retirement.
On November 2012, Clarke notched up a brilliant double century against South Africa that made him the only Test batsman in the history of the game to achieve four double centuries in a calendar year.
Clarke announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in August 2015 after a disappointing Ashes campaign that saw them surrender the urn yet another time.
The elegant right-hander finished his Test career with 8643 runs at an average of 49.10 and also 28 centuries to his kitty. He was a prolific run getter in ODIs too scoring 7981 runs with 8 centuries and 58 half-centuries at an average of 44.58.