Belinda Clark responds after Glenn Maxwell's historic World Cup innings sparks 'snub'
The champion Aussie cricketer says she takes no offence to being ignored by pundits.
Champion female Australian cricketer Belinda Clark has turned a potential negative into a positive, refusing to take offence to being "forgotten" amid the hype of Glenn Maxwell's astonishing World Cup double century. Several media outlets and popular social media accounts declared Maxwell's frenzied 201 not out against Afghanistan the first ODI double century by an Australian, overlooking Clark's undefeated 229 against Denmark in 1997.
Clark's name was trending alongside Maxwell's on X – formerly Twitter - in the hours after the "Miracle in Mumbai", with fans incensed her dig had been air-brushed from history. Indian cricket "influencer" Johns Benny, who has 431,000 followers on X and an estimated social media reach of 5.5m, was among those to race out of the gates without checking his facts/stats.
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He went full cap to declare: "GLENN MAXWELL BECOMES THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN PLAYER TO SCORE DOUBLE HUNDRED IN ODI HISTORY....!!!!!" One follower wrote: "Belinda Clark’s name should be being mentioned a lot more than it has been. Acknowledging her innings doesn’t detract away from how brilliant Maxwell’s innings was. It’s just about getting facts right."
Another added: "A woman can have a statue but she will not get credit for her on-field achievements. Belinda Clark is and will always remain the first Australian to score a double century in ODIs. It's not that hard to check, honestly.
"Johns, with your reach, these are basics you can get right. Or at the very least, acknowledge and correct." Benny later added "*men's Australian player" to accompany his original tweet but the damage was done.
Belinda Clark responds after supposed 'snub'
Several media outlets failed to mention Clark's innings in early reports following the Maxwell massacre but were soon up to speed once the oversight was brought to their attention. A diplomatic Clark, an ICC Hall of Famer, took no offence and claimed it as a positive for the women's game.
"What an innings it was…remarkable considering the situation," she told Yahoo Sport Australia. "I think it’s great and I'm pleased for Glenn and the team. It’s (comparison with her innings) a talking point to further provide recognition of women’s sport. 1997 was a long time ago so I welcome him to the club."
Asked if she was upset at being overlooked in some reports, Clark replied: "My view is we need to respect performances regardless of gender. There is space for everyone. The error however is generally one-way traffic. Women have been playing cricket internationally since 1934."
Maxwell was severely hampered by cramp throughout an innings rated the best in ODI history by a number of former players and modern-day pundits. Remarkably, the Victorian is still considered a chance to line-up against Bangladesh on Saturday despite the Australians already locking down a semi-final showdown with South Africa.
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