Australian cricketer Michael Clarke celebrates his century against India. AP Photo/Aman Sharma
Michael Clarke is now arguably Australia’s number one Test batsman, but he’s simply not suited to Twenty20 cricket. It’s painful to watch a touch player attempting ungainly slogs through mid-wicket. He needs to be put out of his misery.
Clarke is not the only batsman who has been brilliant at Test cricket, but found to be completely unsuited to the shortest form of the game.
India’s VVS Laxman is one of the most elegant batsmen in the world, but watching him hack the ball around in the IPL recently was like watching Pavarotti attempting to sing an AC/DC song.
It just wasn’t right.
A look at Clarke’s twenty20 record tells you all that you need to know: an average of 23 and a strike rate of 114 (well below average in Twenty20 cricket) after 31 international matches.
The alternative?
Well, Cameron White has been Victoria’s captain for the past six years, has a good cricket brain, and is the prototype of a successful Twenty20 batsman: big, strong, and capable of hitting the ball out of the park consistently.
He’s more than capable of doing the job.
Australia’s selectors have identified Clarke as the future Test captain, and they’re probably right. Despite the Bingle bungle, Clarke remains Australia’s best long term candidate to become captain full-time when Ricky Ponting finally calls it a day.
However, when it comes to Twenty20, he’s just not up to the mark.
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