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Australian cricket coach Darren Lehmann is “sick” of speculation over the fitness and captaincy worthiness of Michael Clarke.
A news flash ‘Boof’: most of the Australian sporting public are sick of the almost daily reporting of Clarke’s injury and captaincy status.
Clarke’s had a chronic back problem since he was 17 – 16 years ago – and since then both hamstrings have joined the injury party to the extent it’s Russin roulette as to whether he will finish any game he starts.
That brings the captaincy into the equation.
If Clarke keeps breaking down, the national selectors have only one option – don’t pick him. That would leave Steve Smith as Test captain, which he deserves to keep, and either Smith or George Bailey as ODI skipper.
For mine that would be Smith, as Bailey’s position in the ODI side is under huge pressure, while Smith is a first-choice selection in both formats.
So let’s can the daily updates on Michael Clarke, especially as Shane Watson is only a nano-second behind Clarke with his litany of injuries – neck, shoulder, back, hamstrings, calf, and ankles. Have I forgotten any?
Clarke and Watson head an Australian injury list that looks like the sinking of the Titanic.
Pacemen have been falling like flies – Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Marsh have all missed a lot of cricket through injury, with the latest casualty James Faulkner not in any way sure he’ll get a start in the World Cup.
Add David Warner, Brad Haddin, and fringe selection Shaun Marsh, and that leaves only Smith, Bailey, Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, and spinner Xavier Doherty as injury free.
Why?
Have Lehmann and the team trainers pushed the team too hard at the nets and/or gym, are there too many games with little chance to recover from niggles, or are the current Australian cricketers simply not fit enough?
I can’t recall Don Bradman, Neil Harvey, Lindsay Hassett, Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller and Bill Johnston – to name a few – ever missing games.
Sure there were no one dayers, but all those Invincibles played a full season of Sheffield Shield, as well as holding down nine-to-five jobs with bosses good enough to give them time off to play for their country.
So let’s see where the injury count goes in the World Cup, leading into the tour to the West Indies, and then another Ashes series in England.
In the meantime, let’s end the daily injury updates on Clarke, Watson and Faulkner.