2007 ODI World Cup winner Michael Hussey has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame and will now be formally recognised as an Aussie cricket legend.
Cricket Australia (CA) conferred the honour on Hussey and former World Cup-winning captain of the women's cricket team, Lyn Larsen, on the first day of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday (December 26).
While Mr. Cricket, as Hussey is popularly called, is the 62nd inductee, Larsen is the 63rd into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
While Hussey's career is fairly well documented, modern-day cricket enthusiasts aren't aware of Larsen's achievements and legacy.
Appointed as the captain of the women's cricket team at the relatively young age of 22 in 1987, Larsen built a legacy for herself by producing remarkable results as a leader of the pack.
She led Australia in 10 Tests, won five and drew five. In addition to that, she captained the Aussies in 43 ODIs and won 23 out of them. The pinnacle of her leadership came in 1988 when she brought the 1988 World Cup home.
On the other hand, Hussey was a part of Australia's maiden ICC Champions Trophy winning squad in 2006 and made useful contributions to the side that won the 2007 ODI World Cup in the Caribbean under the leadership of Ricky Ponting.
A late bloomer, Hussey aggregated 6235 runs in 79 Tests at a stellar average of 51.52 and notched up 19 tons and 29 half-centuries in his illustrious Test career.
Playing in the lower middle order and often tasked with providing the final flourish to Australia's innings, Hussey carved a proud ODI career for himself too. He represented the Aussies in 185 ODIs and amassed 5442 runs at an average of 48.15, including three centuries and 39 fifties.
