As the South African series approaches, it is time for Michael Clarke to step up once again with the bat.
Michael Clarke has been the best cricketer of this decade so far. His record breaking year in 2012 was outstanding to watch, as he looked just as good as anyone you have ever seen.
Now that his team are back to some red hot form, Michael Clarke’s team will have to step to the plate again and so will he with the bat.
We all know the goals they have set themselves. Australia want to be the number one cricket nation in the world again, in every form of the game.
Everyone has admired the resilience shown by the group after the events that occurred in England last year. Australia was very competitive and the scoreline could have been very different if they took some of the opportunities presented to them in the Tests.
With a confident team around him, Michael Clarke should feel pretty comfortable about the team and himself, but the happy days might not last for the Australian captain and he is well aware of this.
After making very important hundreds in the first two Test matches of the series in Brisbane and Adelaide respectively, Clarke did not score a half century in the last three Tests.
In fact, if you include the Ashes series in England, Clarke has made just three hundreds and one 50 in his last ten Tests.
If we then analyse this even further, Clarke has accumulated 744 runs across both series at an average of 43. Still pretty good, but not the Clarke that has averaged 51 over his Test career.
The last time South Africa played Australia Clarke was in supreme touch. This was at the end of his golden year in 2012, scoring two double-centuries against the Proteas.
Although, this was in Australia and in South Africa his record is very different once again.
If we take the only two times Clarke has been to South Africa, he has achieved 307 runs with just one hundred and one 50 to his name.
Clarke averages 34 in South Africa and by his standards, this is not enough.
One day cricket could also be a potential concern for Clarke.
In the series against England last month his highest score was just 43, and he only accumulated 102 runs at an average of 25.50.
In 2013, in his eight one day matches, he scored just one hundred for the year, again averaging just 28.3.
Michael Clarke is a quality player, an innovative captain and a determined leader who will be well aware of this and will be looking to bounce back from his slight drop in form.
It is hard to say Clarke is out of form, but rest assured this is a very important series for him and his team.
The Australian cricket team now has the whole nation excited and ready for more success, which is both a positive and a negative for Clarke.
For sure, the positivity around the public is fantastic but the scrutiny could still turn very quickly back on Clarke if the Australians don’t perform in South Africa.
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