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Australian cricketer Michael Clarke celebrates his century against India. AP Photo/Aman Sharma
The heinous farce that was the Australian cricket summer has now continued in the current New Zealand tour. The news of Michael “Pup” Clarke returning home to support his fiancée has many fans trembling with disappointment.
I know I am not alone in feeling this way.
The horrendous West Indies and diabolical Pakistan squads provided glory for our nation’s cricketers and so-called redemption for the dramatic and unexpected loss of the Ashes last year. At least Chris Gayle and his team showed some fight, whereas Pakistan accentuated the gaping hole that is tearing apart my beloved Test cricket.
But this was not the worst part of the summer. The Australian cricket selectors, board, and administration have continued their highly questionable selection policies with arrogance, no foresight and quite frankly, no common sense. This is not something new, but it is no less disturbing.
So it is not surprising that these latitudes filter down through the captain to the players. Mitchell Johnson’s recent headbutt is indicative of the childish behaviour that has consumed the team ever since Ricky Ponting was made captain. It was an unacceptable, albeit laughable act by Johnson. Maybe if he showed that sort of fight and passion during the Ashes, the result may have been different.
Now onto Pup. The selection panel has dictated that this man will be our next Australian Test captain. The decision is made and that is that. The fraternity of recent Australian squads has shown us that the boys will support each others’ behaviour no matter what. Is this camaraderie of just a different brand of politics?
Pup’s technical qualities as a cricketer cannot be questioned. He is elite in all facets of the game and a beautiful batsman to watch. Let’s put aside his difficulty in grasping the Twenty20 format, because real cricket fans know that even though Twenty20 is here to stay, that doesn’t mean we have to like it or care about Australia’s performances in this format. Is there a World Cup on this year or something?
However, his actions this week have shown his ineptitude for the role of Test captain. To succeed in this role, one must exhibit a mental capacity for the game’s intricacies on the field. Now Ricky Ponting has a great record as captain (as he likes to point out to the media) and an even greater record as a batsman. He has shown tremendous fighting qualities as a player on the field, but possesses a somewhat obtuse view on what captaincy means. He has made good with a supreme squad in the past and, in recent times, substandard opposition. The Test series victory in South Africa was an outstanding achievement, but unfortunately, it only served as an entrée with no main meal to follow it.
Pup can certainly talk the talk, but I do not believe that he can fulfill the duties that will be required of him as Test captain. He will fit into Ponting’s shoes quite comfortably, but don’t we need a person with more integrity to lead us in the future? The next Test captain should be an improvement on the last, not a simple like-for-like replacement. Could you imagine Stephen Waugh pulling a stunt like Pup did this week when he was Vice-Captain under Mark Taylor? You couldn’t, because Waugh would never allow such a circumstance to happen.
Pup has shown poor judgement in his off-field life, so how can the cricket fans of Australia trust his decision making on the field? And more importantly, the players will not be able to trust him as a leader because he will not be respected. I have a simple saying; if you show no respect, then you get no respect. I am thankful that this latest incident has occurred during a One Day International series, but this does not bode well for future “issues” involving Pup and his fiancée. I can only hope that he returns from Australia as a man worthy of his impending duty and that he found his brain, his courage and his heart.
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