Thank God it's Friday ... IT HAS TO BE THIRD TIME LUCKY FOR CAPTAIN CLARKE
Back to November 2013 - Michael Clarke is a winning World Cup captain (2015) - in spite of this, Clarke never won an away Ashes series, either as a player, or captain.
IT HAS TO BE THIRD TIME LUCKY FOR CAPTAIN CLARKE - SpeakingNick, November 2013
Read the original post here
“Michael Clarke seems conspicuous in his absence.”
I would argue that this was often the case with Clarke, he seemed to loiter on the periphery of the team he aspired to, and later captained. He was a materialistic soul, and one who polarised many supporters.
Unsurprisingly, Clarke is the least lauded of the current -past - Australian cricket captains.
Preceded by Ricky Ponting and replaced by Steve Smith - Clarke came across as a reluctant leader, later confirmed in his autobiography. "This might surprise a few people - I never set out on my journey in cricket with any desire to be vice-captain, let alone captain of Australia."
The avoidance of leadership was masked by his impish behaviour. The shirt collars always stood to attention, Clarke darted from one senior player to the next, nipping at their ankles in a vain attempt to draw attention. He craved relevance, probably a product of a tough upbringing — southwest Sydney has its challenges.
Another reason for him to distrust his leadership qualities was the loaded gun he was handed when taking over the captaincy from Ponting. Cricket Australia (CA) wanted to move on from Ponting and hoped Clarke would facilitate this selectorial responsibility that was inadequately abdicated by CA. A daunting start to Clarke’s tenure.
His mistrust of the media was also evident, highlighted by the feud with Simon Katich in January 2009 - "that wasn't." Much of this is a product of his paparazzi-fuelled relationship with the model, Lara Bingle. Fortunately, Clarke later moved on from this toxic association.
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Fast-forward to today, September 2022, and captaincy is firmly front of mind. Aaron Finch, Australia’s white-ball captain, is running on fumes, not empty, but the fuel light is on. Finch will captain Australia in the imminent T20 World Cup (October) — after that, well, there is no shortage of negative commentary on his chances of making it to the 2023 World Cup in India. I say — so what — he might not even want to go that far. Let him — and his team — focus on defending the T20 World Cup on home soil. Just let him be.
Michael Clarke and Aaron Finch are very different beings however, their common bond is leadership, and the struggles associated with this, or in their case, are attributed to them by people on the outside, looking in through foggy glasses.
I hope you enjoy the read.
IT HAS TO BE THIRD TIME LUCKY FOR CAPTAIN CLARKE - November, 2013
There is no escaping Michael Clarke’s below-par batting contributions in the previous two Ashes series.
Excluding the mammoth 187 in Manchester, the Australian captain racked up just shy of 200 runs in nine hits over the winter at an average of 27. Back in 2010/11 he fared worse, aggregating 193 runs at a skinny average of 21. Both series were lost.
Considering the inflated importance the Ashes has for both countries, the time has come for Clarke to stamp his mark on this pivotal series, much like the ink he has liberally stamped on his hugely talented frame.
Spin and bluff is the talk of the contender, not the champion. Actions will always count more than words. Clarke needs to show by doing.
Shane Warne, Australia’s spin king, articulates Clarke’s propensity to be overs ahead of the game in his thinking, not to mention streets ahead tactically of his clowns hat counterpart, Alastair Cook. All this is fine and dandy for tabloid propaganda, but what his team needs now is a captain that will lead and win the important battles.
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Clarke is part of a hugely inexperienced batting group. Take him out of Australia’s top-six and the combined game total is fourteen less than Kevin Pietersen’s individual tally. Some may see this as a burden to Clarke; on the contrary, he must see it as an opportunity to shape and control the Australian batting unit.
It is now or never. Clarke must bear his soul and confront his tormenters, Stuart Broad and James Anderson, head on.
Broad, for all the negative commentary, is a nailed on Test match performer. He believes he has Clarke’s number, a belief that is hard to question on recent form. Broad is perceived as Jimmy Anderson’s right hand man; in fact it is probably the other way around, Anderson the straight man, Broad the sniping sharp shooter.
Here is where Clarke’s opportunity lies. Like the old fashioned left, right combination, he can counter Broad individually; by managing the below the waist swing bowling, and more importantly, negating the short stuff that left him exposed in England.
To do this he must commit technically to being further across the crease to both pacemen. Covering off stump on the front foot is a given to both the new and old ball; from here he is better positioned to handle the short ball in defence and attack.
The mental high ground that can be won by Clarke mixing defence and attack when confronted with the short ball is massive. This is exactly the lead that his team will benefit most from. He will also see improvement in his own batting numbers.
Broad and Anderson bowling in tandem is not the norm. Post the new ball Cook prefers to split his straight man and sharp shooter, preferring his bowling partnerships to last longer and deeper into the bowling innings. This should allow Clarke the comfort of not being exposed to both together. He will have respite at the other end.
In no way is this obstacle insurmountable, Clarke has all the tools required to deliver the telling left, right combination. What is imperative is a shift in his batting focus. Identify the crucial sub plots when they arrive and deal with them, outlast his opponent. I have no doubt he understands the importance of his batting contribution.
By stepping out of his own shadow, he can lay his own personal touch on, what could be, his defining tilt at the old enemy
Have a great weekend. And, as always, thank you for being here.
