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Michael Bevan
Michael Gwyl Bevan (born 8 May 1970) is an Australian former international cricketer. He played as a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm wrist spin bowler. Bevan is widely considered as one of the greatest One Day International (ODI) batsmen of all-time, and topped the International Cricket Council's batting rankings in the format on numerous occasions. He was the first Canberra-born player to represent Australia at international level. He played 232 ODIs for Australia, and was a part of the Australian squads which won the 1999 and 2003 Cricket World Cups. He represented Australia at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, where cricket was included in the Games for the first time.
Bevan was an Australian Cricket Academy scholarship holder in 1989. He scored a total of 15,103 runs in List A cricket at an average of 57.86 runs per innings. This is the highest batting average for any player who has batted in 50 or more innings. In 2007 he was named in Australia's greatest ODI team, while in 2025, he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. The Michael Bevan Medal, for the player of the match in the Australian Domestic One-Day Cricket Final, is named after him.
Michael Bevan's first senior club was Weston Creek Cricket Club in Canberra.[citation needed] He made his first-class debut during the 1989-90 domestic season for South Australia, scoring a century on debut against Western Australia.
After a single season with South Australia, Bevan moved to play for New South Wales, where he spent the majority of his career. He played in English County Cricket for Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Sussex and Kent County Cricket Clubs. After 14 seasons, he moved to play for Tasmania ahead of the 2004–05 season Sheffield Shield season, scoring a then-record 1,464 first-class runs in the season.[citation needed] He retired from cricket at the end of the 2006–07 season.
He made his ODI debut on 14 April 1994 against Sri Lanka in the 1994 Austral-Asia Cup at Sharjah and was not required to bat, as Australia chased down 155 comfortably with nine wickets to spare. By the 1995–96 season, he became a regular in the team. He proved a reliable anchor at the bottom of the middle order, and he would often patiently guide Australia to victory following a rare top-order collapse – leading to him being nicknamed "The Finisher". By the end of his ODI career, Bevan was known as the "Pyjama Picasso". During his ODI career, he managed to hit just 21 sixes in 232 ODI matches, a testament to his calculating style and batting role that required protecting his vital wicket rather than attempting risky aerial shots. He batted 45 times in successful ODI run chases for Australia; and, out of those 45 outings, he remained unbeaten at the crease on 25 occasions.
One of his most famous "anchor" innings was in the New Year's Day One Day International at the Sydney Cricket Ground against the West Indies in 1996 during the Benson & Hedges World Series. With the Australians at one stage 6/38 chasing 173, his unbeaten 150-minute 78 got the Australians over the line with a four or more required on the last ball to achieve victory. He was the second leading run scorer in the 1995/96 Benson & Hedges World Series only behind Mark Taylor with an aggregate of 389 runs in 10 innings at an average of 194.50, bolstered by eight not-outs in his 10 innings.
He featured in his first World Cup tournament during the 1996 Cricket World Cup and played a crucial role to help Australia to reach the final of the tournament by scoring 69 runs in the semi-final clash against the West Indies, a match which is highly remembered and known due to the dramatic collapse of the West Indies in a low-scoring run chase of 208. He also played an important cameo of unbeaten 36 off 49 balls in the 1996 World Cup final which propelled Australia to a decent total of 241/7 on the board. However, his efforts went in vain as Sri Lanka chased down 242 to win their maiden World Cup title.
He was selected to the Australian squad for the 50-over cricket tournament at the 1998 Commonwealth Games where Australia became runners-up in the competition to South Africa. He was a key member of the Australian team which lifted the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
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Michael Bevan
Michael Gwyl Bevan (born 8 May 1970) is an Australian former international cricketer. He played as a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm wrist spin bowler. Bevan is widely considered as one of the greatest One Day International (ODI) batsmen of all-time, and topped the International Cricket Council's batting rankings in the format on numerous occasions. He was the first Canberra-born player to represent Australia at international level. He played 232 ODIs for Australia, and was a part of the Australian squads which won the 1999 and 2003 Cricket World Cups. He represented Australia at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, where cricket was included in the Games for the first time.
Bevan was an Australian Cricket Academy scholarship holder in 1989. He scored a total of 15,103 runs in List A cricket at an average of 57.86 runs per innings. This is the highest batting average for any player who has batted in 50 or more innings. In 2007 he was named in Australia's greatest ODI team, while in 2025, he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. The Michael Bevan Medal, for the player of the match in the Australian Domestic One-Day Cricket Final, is named after him.
Michael Bevan's first senior club was Weston Creek Cricket Club in Canberra.[citation needed] He made his first-class debut during the 1989-90 domestic season for South Australia, scoring a century on debut against Western Australia.
After a single season with South Australia, Bevan moved to play for New South Wales, where he spent the majority of his career. He played in English County Cricket for Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Sussex and Kent County Cricket Clubs. After 14 seasons, he moved to play for Tasmania ahead of the 2004–05 season Sheffield Shield season, scoring a then-record 1,464 first-class runs in the season.[citation needed] He retired from cricket at the end of the 2006–07 season.
He made his ODI debut on 14 April 1994 against Sri Lanka in the 1994 Austral-Asia Cup at Sharjah and was not required to bat, as Australia chased down 155 comfortably with nine wickets to spare. By the 1995–96 season, he became a regular in the team. He proved a reliable anchor at the bottom of the middle order, and he would often patiently guide Australia to victory following a rare top-order collapse – leading to him being nicknamed "The Finisher". By the end of his ODI career, Bevan was known as the "Pyjama Picasso". During his ODI career, he managed to hit just 21 sixes in 232 ODI matches, a testament to his calculating style and batting role that required protecting his vital wicket rather than attempting risky aerial shots. He batted 45 times in successful ODI run chases for Australia; and, out of those 45 outings, he remained unbeaten at the crease on 25 occasions.
One of his most famous "anchor" innings was in the New Year's Day One Day International at the Sydney Cricket Ground against the West Indies in 1996 during the Benson & Hedges World Series. With the Australians at one stage 6/38 chasing 173, his unbeaten 150-minute 78 got the Australians over the line with a four or more required on the last ball to achieve victory. He was the second leading run scorer in the 1995/96 Benson & Hedges World Series only behind Mark Taylor with an aggregate of 389 runs in 10 innings at an average of 194.50, bolstered by eight not-outs in his 10 innings.
He featured in his first World Cup tournament during the 1996 Cricket World Cup and played a crucial role to help Australia to reach the final of the tournament by scoring 69 runs in the semi-final clash against the West Indies, a match which is highly remembered and known due to the dramatic collapse of the West Indies in a low-scoring run chase of 208. He also played an important cameo of unbeaten 36 off 49 balls in the 1996 World Cup final which propelled Australia to a decent total of 241/7 on the board. However, his efforts went in vain as Sri Lanka chased down 242 to win their maiden World Cup title.
He was selected to the Australian squad for the 50-over cricket tournament at the 1998 Commonwealth Games where Australia became runners-up in the competition to South Africa. He was a key member of the Australian team which lifted the 1999 Cricket World Cup.