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Based on playing ability alone, Michael Clarke should be playing in and captaining both Australia’s Test and ODI teams.
But, given his deteriorating body, he can no longer handle the workload of playing both Test and ODI cricket.
If Clarke were to come into the Australian ODI World Cup team for its second match of the tournament, as planned, then his form would be unknown and it would unsettle the team.
He should therefore retire from ODI cricket immediately.
Michael Clarke’s record in both Test and ODI matches speaks for itself. His average of 50.80 and 44.87 in Tests and ODIs respectively are both outstanding.
His record batting at number five in Test matches, where he averages 61.83, is bettered only by South Africa’s A.B. de Villiers.
Add to all this his excellent tactical nous, and it seems obvious that Clarke ought to be captaining both Australia’s Test and ODI teams – except for his persistent injury concerns.
Over the last number of years, he has missed a large percentage of ODIs due to injuries and he has now started missing Test matches too. Clarke’s body is going to continue to deteriorate.
If he continues to play both Tests and ODIs, he will continue to injure himself, and will be constantly missing games in both formats. This will severely interrupt his rhythm and his form will suffer.
Clarke would avoid this problem if he were to give up playing ODIs and focus solely on Test matches. It is clear that playing Test-match cricket is his priority – he has sacrificed playing ODIs in order to be fit for Test matches in the past – and he has had greater success in this format.
Clarke should be able to handle the workload of playing Tests alone for a few more years.
Clarke should therefore retire from ODI cricket, and he should do so before the upcoming Cricket World Cup.
Clarke will not be fit enough to play until the tournament has already started. He will miss the first match and the two warm-up matches. He will not have played any cricket for more than two months prior to the second match against Bangladesh on 21 February.
He needs some time in the middle to prove his form before coming back into the Australian team.
Stability is a virtue in a cricket team. The other Australian batsmen need the confidence of knowing that their place in the team is reasonably secure. The last thing they need is to be looking over their shoulders, worried about whether Clarke will be taking their spot for the next match.
If Clarke retires from ODI cricket immediately, then he will be able to lead the Test team for a few more years, with Smith as his deputy.
If Clarke continues to play in both the Test and ODI teams, however, then he should relinquish the captaincy of both. The captain of a side needs to be available for pretty much every game.
If Clarke continues to play in both formats, then he will end up missing too many games in each format to justify his selection as captain.
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