Michael Clarke is caught up in a 'sexism scandal' after being awarded a higher Order of Australia medal than female cricket star Lyn Larsen
- Clarke given higher rank in Queen's Birthday Honours than female Ashes hero
- 2015 Cricket World Cup Final winner appointed Officer of the Order of Australia
- Female counterpart Lyn Larsen given lesser Member of the Order of Australia
- Both Clarke and Larsen led Australia to an Ashes victory and a Cricket World Cup
- 'Australia, we're not there yet,' one cricket expert wrote in response to disparity
The decision to award ex-Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke a higher rank in the Queen's Birthday Honours list than female Ashes legend Lyn Larsen has sparked controversy within the cricketing community.
Clarke was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in Monday's list, but Larsen was presented with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) - a tier down in the honours system.
Clarke guided Australia to the 2015 Cricket World Cup Final and is considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of his generation.
Cricket experts noted ex-women's captain Larsen had similarly impressive achievements with the national team.
Michael Clarke (pictured with his ex-wife Kyly in 2016) was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in Monday Queen's Birthday Honours list
Cricket experts have noted Australian women's captain Lyn Larsen was given a lower rank in the honour's list despite boasting achievements which rival or even surpass her male counterpart. She is pictured with the Women's Cricket World Cup trophy at the MCG in 1988
'Michael Clarke and Lyn Larsen both led Australia to victory in a Cricket World Cup and both won the Ashes,' cricket blogger Rick Eyre wrote on Twitter.
'Clarke received an AO, Larsen received an AM - the next level below. Australia, we're not there yet.
'Our great female cricketers continue to lie in the shadows of limited opportunity and attention.'
Share this article
The Bradman Museum in Bowral tweeted in response it was nearly impossible to separate the two Australian captains.
Larsen captained Australia to victory in the 1988 World Cup final at the MCG before just 3,000 spectators.
In her first Test as captain in England in 1987, she propelled Australia to victory as her side became the first women's team to defeat England in a series on their own soil.
Cricket experts noted Larsen had a similarly impressive record with the Australian national team
Larsen poses for a photograph at her home in Tuntable Creek in northern NSW on Saturday. She was captain when the Australian women's team became the first to defeat England on their own soil in a series
Larsen is pictured kneeling far left after guiding Australia to victory over England in the 1988 Melbourne Cricket Ground
She is also listed by the International Cricket Council as the most successful women's captain in Test cricket history.
It came despite her playing in an era before female cricket was a professional sport.
Larsen also boasted the third lowest economy rate of any bowler in both the male and female game who had taken 20 wickets.
The 57-year-old said Monday's honour was a surprise almost as large as the recent growth in her beloved sport.
'A lot of people say 'you probably wish you were playing now' and I say 'I don't',' said Larsen, who played 15 Tests and 49 one-day internationals from 1984-94.
Michael Clarke, who retired from professional cricket in 2015, was honoured with an AO for his service to the sport as a captain and player
'When we did it, we had jobs - cricket wasn't our job.
Larsen became besotted with sport growing up at Tuntable Creek in northern NSW, where she still lives on her family's macadamia farm.
'We had a lot of backyard cricket here with my father and brother,' she said.
'And my grandfather was a keen cricketer around the Nimbin area so every time we would go over there, it was always cricket out the front of an old mandarin tree.'
