Over the past week, Australian cricket hasn’t had many positives. The tragic demise of Phil Hughes has left us all with an empty feeling in our stomach, as disbelief has swept over the players’ and community.
As the funeral celebrating Hughes’ life concluded today, we realise that all of the sorrow and pain must be left behind if the Aussies want to win the Test match next Tuesday.
That’s why I have picked one positive from the whole situation, which was the class attitude and support that has exuded from Michael Clarke this week. He has been Australia’s shining beacon, guiding home all of the lost ships at sea which make up the Australian players.
Michael Clarke’s captaincy position has always been a bit of a talking point, as some controversy arose when he was picked after his meetings with Lara Bingle.
For a couple of years he was just ‘Pup’; the young, beach blonde haired boy who drove fancy cars and had beautiful girls running after him.
He was one of the new ‘glamour’ players, the ones who stood smiling on the front of sport and gossip magazines simultaneously.
Yet when the time came, ‘Pup’ seemed to mature at the perfect time to take over Ricky Ponting as Australian captain.
When he became captain, all of our wishes were fulfilled and our doubts squashed, as he led us to a gritty 1-0 series victory in Sri Lanka, with a sparkling hundred being the first of many captain’s knocks.
He then led an Australian side which went on to reclaim the Ashes and become the number one Test team in the world, with the team’s rebound from defeats to India and England away seeming to erase those horrid series’.
Then, as the Aussie team dipped in the quirky cricket home of the United Arab Emirates, his wars with Dale Steyn came to light, as Clarke suddenly looked a bit less like our shining knight in armour.
Yet the reason why that was made to look negative was because of the team’s current state, as they were in disarray. As his sledge in the winning Ashes series against England was taken aboard as humour and a bit of a fun one-liner, the war of words with Steyn appeared to be a blight on Clarke’s captaincy.
But now Clarke’s true class and respect as captain of the Test team shone through as his three speeches in the past week following Hughes’ death has highlighted how mature, humble and thoughtful he is.
It has most certainly been the toughest week of Clarke’s life, as he has lost his metaphoric little brother, but he has sobbed through heartfelt messages honouring the legacy of what was a fine young man.
I don’t know about you, but a real captain shows his worth on and off the field, with Clarke’s brilliant batting and unique field settings always being a positive.
But up until now, Michael Clarke was never known as the purest of captain’s off the field. Yet if we can take one positive out of the horror week from hell, it can be the sterling and heart-warming speeches from Clarke, which is highlighted by his tear jerking eulogy today.
Well done, Clarkey. You have proven to us all that you are one of the more sincere men out there. Now go lead your team to victory for Hughesy.
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