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The prospect of Australian skipper Michael Clarke missing the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka with a hamstring problem would be a crushing blow to the gathering momentum of the new-look baggy greens.
Even though there’s eight days until the MCG Test gets underway, hammies don’t heal quickly – as anyone who has suffered the pain will readily attest.
Clarke is not only the best batsman in the side by the length of the straight, but his positive captaincy flair is also gathering momentum.
If Clarke is ruled out, his vice-captain Shane Watson will obviously take over, with the most senior player left, Mike Hussey, as his deputy.
Watson is an unkown commodity, which in itself would lead to enormous additional pressure. That’s not to say he wouldn’t do a good job, as he has a shrewd cricket brain and is respected by his peers.
The next question would be how would the captaincy affect his all-round performance? In Clarke’s case it has given him a huge adrenalin lift to make him the world’s leading Test run-getter this year.
And while Clarke is essentially a team man, there’s some unfinished personal business to attend to in the last Test of the year.
He’s just 56 runs away from becoming Australia’s most prolific run-scorer in a calendar year.
Ricky Ponting has the honour with 1544 scored in 2005 at an average of 55.90 with seven tons, and five half-centuries.
So far Clarke has 1489 at 106.35, with a world record-setting triple and three double centuries – 329*, 210, 259*, and 230, just shy of 1500 runs in the year.
And the MCG has a special significance to the skipper, where he’s never scored a ton in the always long-awaited Boxing Day Test. It’d be nice to see him get that chance without injury hampering him.
- In 2004, he scored 20 against Pakistan.
- He missed the 2005 and 2006 fixtures.
- In 2007 he scored 20 and 73 against India.
- In 2008 – 88* and 29 against South Africa.
- In 2009 – 28* and 37 against Pakistan.
- In 2010 – 20 and 13 against England.
- And last year – 31 and one against India.