SCG adds Belinda Clark statue to Walk of Honour

Australia legend Belinda Clark has been immortalised in bronze, with the Sydney Cricket Ground unveiling the world's first sculpture of a female cricketer.

Clark's likeness has been installed at the entrance to the SCG's Walk of Honour and was revealed for the first time ahead of day two of the third men's Test against South Africa on Thursday.

The news the SCG would house the landmark statue was first announced in early 2021 – a welcome step, with 73 statues of male cricketers in existence in Australia at that point – but the identity of the player chosen for the honour was not made public until today.

Clark, a World Cup-winning captain, prolific run scorer and key figure in the off-field development of Australian cricket, was selected from a strong field of potential candidates that included Australia's first Test captain Margaret Peden and legendary allrounder Betty Wilson.

She is the 15th member of the SCG sculpture project and the third female; joining champion sprinters Betty Cuthbert and Marlene Matthews, whose likenesses are positioned in front of Allianz Stadium. 

The sculpture was created by renowned NSW artist, Cathy Weiszmann.

"I'm excited to have the sculpture in place and for people to now look at it and perhaps wonder what that is, who that is and to be able to tell a bit of a story is really important," Clark said. 

"The sculpture encapsulates being able to have a go – to be courageous, to take on those challenges and break convention.

"I want people to take away that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it and you have good people around you, and I think I've been very fortunate to have had great support and have a bit of an imagination to take my game where I wanted to take it, and hopefully the sport is in a better place for it."

Few people have had as much impact on cricket, on and off the field, as Clark.

A right-handed opener born in Newcastle with the uncanny knack of accumulating runs, Clark was named captain of the Australian Women's team at the age of 23 and led her country for 12 years through a golden period until her retirement in 2005, winning two World Cups in the process.

Clark holds the record for the most ODI runs scored by an Australian woman – 4,844 runs in 118 ODIs at an average of 47.49 – while she scored 919 runs in 15 Test matches at an average of 45.95, the second most of any Australian woman.

In 1997, she became the first person to score an ODI double century when she blasted 229 runs off 155 balls against Denmark and was subsequently named Wisden's Cricketer of the Year.

As chief executive of Women's Cricket Australia, Clark played a significant role in the merger with the Australian Cricket Board to combine the administration of the men's and women's games.

After her retirement from playing, Clark played a key role over the following 15 years as an administrator at Cricket Australia, with a particular focus on grassroots cricket and Australia's national teams, before she left the organisation in late 2020.

SCG Chairman Tony Shepherd said the new sculpture's position at the main entry to the members area was deliberately chosen to put her alongside two of the greatest captains in the men's game, Richie Benaud and Steve Waugh.

The SCG Trusts' Sports Sculpture Project began more than a decade ago, and Clark's sculpture was created in consultation with Cricket Australia's Recognition of Women in Cricket working group. 

Addressing that imbalance of public recognition for women in cricket – not only in statues, but across all areas of the sport – has been a major focus for the working group formed in 2021.