Michael Bevan

Born in Canberra Michael Bevan made his first-class debut in 1989-90 in South Australian colours, hitting a century in his first innings, before a 12-month stint at the Academy led to a move back to New South Wales. It was in Sydney that he quickly assumed a regular middle-order berth in the strongest state team in the country. Regularly dubbed the world’s best limited-overs batsman, Michael continued in his international career closing at the end of the 2003-04 season. An essential part of the one-day outfit for a decade, he was cut from the contract list with two World Cup wins and kitbags full of highlights. He will long be remembered for his pair of sensational innings against West Indies at Sydney in 1996 and New Zealand at Melbourne in 2002. Picking the gaps, running hard and knowing the right moment – and place – to hit a boundary were the hallmarks of his success. He was also a fine fieldsman and his left-arm wrist spin, which added to his lure and allowed him to play Tests as a batting all rounder. Bevan enjoyed a promising start to his Test career with 82 in his debut innings and another two half-centuries in his first series against Pakistan in 1994-95. He never made a century, although he was twice unbeaten in the 80s when batting down the order and running out of partners against West Indies, who he upset with 15 wickets in the 1997-98 series. Bevan made some unforgettable memories in the green and gold one-day uniform, finishing with 232 appearances and a phenomenal average of 53.58 that was boosted by six centuries, 46 fifties and 67 not outs. In 2005 Bevan signed a two-year deal with Tasmania and proved his days of domination were not finished when he struck a domestic record 1464 runs in the Pura Cup, including eight centuries. He was named the Pura Cup Player of the Year and his Bradmanesque scoring achieved an average of 97.60 when in 2007 he retired from cricket.   CRICKET Born: 8 May 1970 Inducted: 2012   Full member