Clarke, 43, accepted the honor Thursday, nearly a decade after closing the chapter on his remarkable playing career. He is the 64th member, and two more members will be named this season.
Clarke, who made his first-class debut for New South Wales aged 17, captained Australia to victory in the 2015 ODI World Cup and led the team in 47 of his 115 Tests.
He followed up his SCG performance with a double century in the fourth Test against India, before scoring two more double centuries against South Africa the following season.
It was in 2011, after England won the Ashes 3-1 in Australia, that Clarke succeeded Ricky Ponting as captain. At his peak, he was ranked the best batsman in the world. He also led the Ashes whitewash in 2013-14 and retired at the end of the lost 2015 campaign in England.
“Being able to sit next to so many wonderful players, idols and role models as a child and look up to them is something that honors me,” Clarke said. “Retirement does a lot of things to you. Through the stages of watching cricket now, you miss bits and pieces.
“When you play at the highest level, people talk about your international career, but for me it started when I was six. I retired when I was 34, so it was my life. It’s still part of my life.
“cricket – it’s probably very similar to life in general. You go out and make 100 and then you pick up the bat, and then you go out on the field, you make a slip and you catch the second ball of the game.”
Australian cricket Hall of Fame president Peter King praised Clarke as a player who “defined his generation”.
“Michael’s extraordinary first-class playing career began aged just 17 at the SCG, the venue where many of his greatest moments occurred, including a Test triple century against India in 2012,” King said.
“Michael’s career will always be fondly remembered by the Australian public and his position will remain alongside those in the upper echelon of our game.”