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It seems incredulous to think that just two years ago Michael Clarke was booed as he stepped onto the SCG turf in the last Ashes Test of that series.
As a captain he has managed to turn the swag of negative opinion against him into a scene of goodwill and admiration.
When Clarke was awarded the captaincy after the last Ashes series, there was an audible groan that could be heard from Perth to Sydney.
In a country where the Australian cricket captaincy is the ultimate symbol of manliness, it seemed hearsay that it would be given to a pretty boy who had yet to prove himself worthy. The modeling, the Lara Bingle circus and his form seemed to taint his reputation as a cricketer.
Within days of his succession, the persona of Clarke changed in the eyes of the public. It started with his retirement from Twenty20 cricket to focus on his Test and ODI responsibilities followed by an ODI series victory over England where his captaincy was in stark contrast to that of his predecessor.
Then came a 4-0 whitewash of India where his attacking, intuitive captaincy saw the Aussies reclaim the Border-Gavaskar trophy in an upset.
He topped this personally with a batting performance that saw him join Don Bradman and Wally Hammond in scoring a double and triple century in the same series.
Clarke’s final redeeming act was a match saving 259 against South Africa where he batted exceptionally at a time when the Aussies needed a captain’s knock.
Clarke has finally been accepted. Subtly but surely, he has distanced himself from his predecessors dour conservatism and channelled former captains Border, Taylor and Waugh. If these three had a love child, it would have been Clarke.
The man from Liverpool combines the stoic nature of Border with the chirpy excitable character of Taylor and has added dash of the Zen-like batting Steve Waugh was so famous for.
His batting since becoming captain has also improved dramatically.
Much like Waugh, Clarke’s irritableness has been replaced by a sound technique and a concentration span that was missing at times.
Since becoming captain, his average has is around 56 with the bat compared to his all time average of around 47.
His captaincy is all about one thing; getting the win.
Where Ricky Pointing would play for a draw, Michael Clarke will look for the opportunity to push for a victory.
While I believe he declared a little too late on Day 5, the fact he went for the win is a positive sign.
But the biggest area he has improved in is his personality and public image.
Prior to ascending to captaincy, it seemed Clarke treated cricket as a stairway to fame not as a passion that needed to be nurtured.
Cricket seemed a furphy in his hectic life, with his focus more on the modelling and the high life combined with a stand offish persona.
How this has changed in 18 months. Clarke is now approachable, intelligent and passionate about his role.
He spends hours with young kids and old diehards at family days and never complains about the workload.
Like Mark Taylor, he portrays a boyish excitement about playing cricket for his country that was sorely missing from his earlier days.
There is a time limit on this goodwill as only an Ashes victory in England will be satisfactory for Australia.
However, the most misunderstood cricket since Shane Warne has revived his reputation and his legacy in a nation where cricketers must fit a mould.
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