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Good friend Shane Warne wants him to worry less, Australian batting coach Michael Di Venuto wants him to be more patient and Michael Clarke just wants some Test runs.
Clarke enters the series decider in Cape Town against South Africa “due” for a score in his own words, having failed to pass 25 in his past 11 Test innings.
The 32-year-old has regularly looked classy since scoring a ton in Adelaide on December 6, dancing down the wicket and driving fluently.
But it hasn’t amounted to an innings of substance, something Di Venuto puts down to tempo and rhythm at the crease.
“He’s batting quite well in the nets. He’s getting some good starts, but he just wants to get big runs quickly and it’s not quite happening for him at this stage,” he told AAP.
“He’s getting to 20-odd pretty easily and wanting to be 100 really quickly.
“As he said, he’s had a couple of errors in terms of balls that’s he’s gone after that have cost him his wicket.”
Warne delivered a pre-match pep talk to Clarke, pointing out the need to stress less.
“He’s a bit of a worrier, Pup. But the good thing is it hasn’t affected his captaincy,” said Warne, who is in camp with the side as a consultant.
“I told him: `Over the last seven Test matches, you’ve won six and not everyone has relied on you, that should be a good thing.
“Stop stressing and worrying about it and make some runs in this Test match.
“He’s one guy you don’t have to worry about batting because we know what a class act he is.”
Clarke trained on the squad’s day off on Wednesday, but it’s not unusual for the driven skipper to work when others rest.
“Nothing’s changed. I haven’t done any more than normal,” Clarke said of his batting sessions since the loss in Port Elizabeth, where he scored 19 and 1.
“I’m doing everything I can to be a better player. If I walk out here and make a duck or make a double hundred, my attitude doesn’t change.
“The No.1 role for me as captain is to make sure I’m leading from the front. I have high expectations on myself, and that will never change.”
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