What a cricket season Michael Clarke has endured, personally and professionally. He has been dragged to the depths of hell and back.
Rocked to the core, as was the nation, by the death of Phil Hughes. Valiant and inspirational in his leadership over the following days and weeks. A gutsy and defiant first Test century off the back of the tragedy. Constantly at odds with the leadership at Cricket Australia.
He has also lurched from one injury crisis to another as his battle-weary body continues to fail him.
And now, character assassination from seemingly within his own ranks, leaked for publication in Fairfax media.
This, for a man who stood front and centre to carry the burden of a grieving country. His thanks? Knife wounds in his back, and the sound of his own dripping blood as it hits the floor behind him.
The chances of Michael Clarke resigning as Australian Test captain and forging a path as a player only are as remote as Ange Postecoglou being sacked as Socceroos coach this week.
On the face of it, there’s a reasonable case to be made. Great sporting teams thrive on continuity, particularly at the leadership level. It would serve the team better to have a captain that isn’t forever under an injury cloud, possibly in and out of the side, or even worse, breaking down mid-match and costing the team dearly.
The strains and pressures of being a fully fit, top-class batsman are burden enough, but still far less than trying to be one while dealing with the endless distractions and commitments that accompany Australian sports highest office (although Socceroos supporters may have something to say about that status).
While it’s possible that such ideas may have entered Clarke’s head during his single-minded attempt to recover from injury and play an active role in the upcoming World Cup, the only way he would have actioned these thoughts was if they had only come from himself.
Any hint of outside persuasion, such as the disrespectful campaign launched by factions within Cricket Australia via Fairfax media, will only cause Clarke to dig his heels in. And just like when he’s at the crease, once those heels are in, they’re difficult to remove.
But, will the powers-that-be within Cricket Australia take the brave decision to move him on, if indeed his relationships with both officials and teammates have soured? And can he play on as a batsmen only under those circumstances? Would anyone want him to?
The question of who the public would side with in a Clarke versus Cricket Australia public relations battle is a sticky wicket.
Rarely does the everyday fan side with a corporate body that runs a sport. More often they are the target of ridicule, vitriol and accusations of incompetence.
Like we see daily during their respective seasons of the AFL, NRL and ARU, Cricket Australia has been on the receiving end of its share of such disdain. In fact, The Roar is a hub for these kinds of viewpoints.
But the Australian public has never quite warmed to Michael Clarke, for a catalogue of reasons both real and imagined.
His greatest moment was when threating Jimmy Anderson with a now-famous “broken f***ing arm”, which gave us an immediate and visceral insight to the competitive animal that Clark actually is, and the fire that burns within.
He’s harnessing these same traits now to push his barrow through the media, with no retreat in sight, and certainly no surrender. Talk of him playing onto the 2019 World Cup is ludicrous, but speaks to his defiant mindset, and the elevated position within Australian cricket that he sees as his entitlement.
But above all else, Australians love winning, and Clarke has delivered it often enough, the current Test side holding the Ashes after a 5-0 whitewash, along with the Border-Gavaskar trophy thanks in part to Clarke’s heroics in Adelaide, and let’s not forget the thrilling and memorable series victory in South Africa less than twelve months ago.
Gideon Haigh, on yesterday’s Offsiders, drew comparisons with Kevin Pietersen and England. It would be shameful if the situation was allowed to degenerate into such farce. As it stands, it is already unedifying and undignified.
All involved must be better than they are currently proving to be.
The World Cup is imminent. The Ashes won’t be far behind. In between is a series in the West Indies that will be as off-Broadway as Australian Test cricket gets.
Important cricket is on the way. Important decisions will be made. And it’s important that Cricket Australia and Michael Clarke come together and resolve their differences. There is simply too much at stake.
Phil
Guest
Fair enough Don, lets agree to disagree mate, we all want our team winning and like you i hope we can have a fantastic 6 months where we can take out the WC and also the ashes. We haven't won in England since 2001, this time with boof as our coach we can do it.
Don Freo
Guest
No energy expended at all, Phil. If you direct your attention to the excitement of what is, you'll find it creates energy. Did you notice how poor JT got weary and retreated to a 'sabbatical' because dredging up unconfirmable gossip from almost half a decade ago actually hurts. It does no good to anyone. I wish you good health, Phil. There is a really enjoyable second half of the Shield season about to unfold, a World Cup followed by a season of the Freo Dockers. Why wallow in unpleasantness?
Phil
Guest
Its fantastic to see these topics get discussed on The Roar. Don you are spending an enormous amount of energy defending Clarke on things he shouldn't be defended on. I like most Australians know his value as a test batsman and it was great to see the legend in boof confirm this the other day. What you can't deny are the things he is getting attacked on. Yes he wanted to go home early to be with Bingle and his celeberity mates before the team song was sung and this was wrong and good on Katich for confronting him on this. And yes he did drop Katich as soon as he become captain or had strong input into this decision when Katich was in career best form, a decision that cost us in future series. Yes he called Watson a poison to the team as Arthur would not make this stuff up as he and Clarke were very close in their time together even though Arthur was a terrible coach for us. Clarke never was happy about not being a selector and he made this a point by constantly critising the team he was being given to him. Yes Clarke tried to take the team to his friends yacht(Packer) without asking the main man Hussey if he wanted this or not which was disrespctful. Its not CLarke's batting we question, its the fact that he divides the team and also picks his mates for the team when he gets the chance.
Jeremy Pooley
Roar Rookie
Read my article
Jeremy Pooley
Roar Rookie
Where I find it painful is that Clarke thinks he has to prosecute everything in the media like a spoiled child. The reality is that he keeps getting injured. CA has to move on and fill the gap. Lehmann probably feels the same way
Jeremy Pooley
Roar Rookie
Don't disagree. But its really rubbish from CA. They call the shots not an injured Captain. If he is injured he is out. That is it. Where CA has stuffed it is by not making it very clear that he will be rested for the Ashes. ie he is out of the WC.
Don Freo
Guest
Hussey was fine. Katich was just drunk and boorish. No doubt thought he was being a hero. He abandoned WA with the same dummy spitting flourish. Top batsman, top tactician...but prone to a tantie.
JMW
Guest
Don, I don't think either of Katich or Hussey were in the wrong. I'm surprised your state based patriochal fervour didn't acknowledge that.
The Magic Man
Roar Rookie
Before he was injured Clarke was our best bat. He was also the bloke that as captain took a basket case all out for 40 type test team and led them back to the no 1 Test team position, defeating the Champion Sth African outfit on their own turn to do it... On in Australia do we try to dine out on our champions. Yum yum.
Larney
Guest
All the allrounders scored more than our batsmen in that last game. Nothing wrong with allrounders on ODI's. They are all good.
mactheblack
Guest
Someone somewhere is trying to stir up a hornet's nest. Not sure if it is within the ranks of the media, some elements of which might not want Clarke back as captain. Yes, just maybe there might be one or two troublemakers within the Aussie team set-up who do want to see Clarke return. Some writers are going on about the fact that Clarke had to face a global media, and an outpouring of grief following Phillip Hughes' unfortunate death. With all due respect, what do these people think. That Clarke as captain and leader had to hide out somewhere and not express himself and open himself about his mate's - and fellow-player's tragic end. We would expect any leader to have done that. Also, Clarke is getting injured far too much of late. Now Steve Smith has stepped in - and not sure what was communicated to him or how his elevation to captaincy was structured - and done a fine job of course. But if Smith was told that it was a temporary stint until the man given the task of captaining Australia, that is Clarke, returned then surely Clarkey should step in once he has recovered? However there is also the problem of a Steve Smith, who is young and hungry for success - so I reckon he is gunning for the captaincy. And batting so well - a man in form - is not hurting either. Steve Smith would probably be better off, if Clarke does recover, to hand back the reins especially with the WC and Ashes coming up! There is no substitute for experience. Smith, though a young exciting and precocious talents, is still a rough diamond that needs work. He can learn under Clarke, refine his captaincy skills and his game and work on becoming the finished article under his mentorship! Smith must know that even the success he has now won't continue forever, it's how he is able to deal with failures that hasn't been tested. However, the other side of the coin is that Clarke is getting injured too much - and some kind of consensus has to be made on how the ACB approaches this. Cool heads are what is needed - and to have this kind of thing brewing underneath the surface before an ICC World Cup in Australasia, is not good for the cause. Such a situation calls for cool heads, a situation where everyone who has the interest of Australian Cricket in mind has to think with their heads and not their heart. But be that as it may... when it comes personal grudges, financial benefits, power-mongering and self-centeredness in sport, the heart will always rule over the head!
Chris Love
Guest
Do we really need four all rounder's also? Marsh/Maxi/Faulkner are surely walk up starts now? In my book yes. Some can say all they like about maxi but the 138 in the PM's game and the 95 on top of 4 wickets seals it. All three are in form and I would play all three assuming Faulkner is fit. Watson is the one I would drop considering the value we get out of Johnston and Starc at the end.
Chris Love
Guest
So by that thinking seeing Faulkner hobble off the pitch the other night after an absolute cracking cameo at the end (again) we should write Faulkner off for the world cup??? After all if he has to take a couple of weeks to recover we wont know how rusty he will be come the first time he has to bat in the world cup? Who cares how scratchy he was in a grade game? Really? 3 weeks out the only thing that matters is that he got through it without reinjuring a hammy or back. The fact that he spent three hours in the middle without injury is a positive.
Chris Love
Guest
Chris/Cameron/JimmyB well said. Cook only lasted so long because he was captain. Certainly like Mark Taylor did for a long time before finding form again. Clarke since taking over the captaincy has been in fantastic form, just in poor health. The Ashes/South Africa/Adelaide all examples of a man in fine touch and even finer captaincy. If we only get 3 or so matches out of Clarke at this world cup it will be 3 or so matches extra out of one of our very best captains. Over the last 5 years, Clarke has been the player we've had to look to every time we a three for not many. More often than not he has produced the goods. If Clarke sticks his hand up to play, we not only select him, we make him captain. If we are 3 for not many at any time in this world cup I will be confident we are well within a game when Pup walks out to the middle. I can't say that for any other player other than Smith (who will surely bat higher anyway). Forget he has the highest ever average in world cups, there isn't a single player in the country that has the one day experience or the leadership experience that Clarke has. Post world cup though, I hope Clarke relinquishes the ODI Captaincy to give Smith 4 years of the reins before the next world cup AND to preserve his body long enough to get as many tests out of him as we can.
Don Freo
Guest
Ross, you are confusing two incidents years apart. In the first, Katich was wrong. In the second, Clarke was a young captain and has no doubt travelled a great distance from that tentative error with Hussey. Imagine if we judged everybody forever by one or two errors. Why must you and others decide that error is his true character and that the richness and statesmanship of only a few months ago was an aberration and a false dawn. I'll give you your answer. Predisposed dislike. You say,Ross, that that is not you. If that's the case, don't perpetuate the rubbish.
Tony Loedi
Roar Guru
How do u know it had CA fingerprints all over it? We shouldn't be assuming there's a massive rift just because a couple people have written it without any real facts. I'm sure Clarkie is upset about the fitness timeline but at the end of the day the selectors made the right call in the best interest of the team
JMW
Guest
Well to be fair Cam, I usually agree with pretty much everything you post. That's the first time I've been rankled. A very good reply by you though ;)
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Point being that the World Cup starts in a couple of weeks. To see the proposed captain bat like he did is concerning. If he was planning to make his return on the tour of the West Indies I would think he's doing the right thing. But so close to the World Cup? Not good enough.
JoM
Guest
Nobody is ever in the right to physically assault someone when they are drunk. That's one part. Again a lot of people believe what they read and fair enough because that's what most of us get. But there are always two sides.
Nudge
Guest
Was actually very successful Tim Nielsen, but had 1 bad series that happened to be the ashes. Don't forget he started coaching Australia after the loss of a Gilchrist, Warne, McGrath, Langer, Hayden, and McGill