Equal the Don? Clarke's chance for a record-breaking last Test

Only four batsmen in the history of Test cricket have scored centuries in their first and last Tests.

As Michael Clarke had scored 151 in his Test debut against India in the October 2004 Bangalore Test he needs to hit a hundred in the final Ashes Test at The Oval this week to join those four cricketing legends.

The first three are Australians:

Reg Duff, 104 versus England at Melbourne in 1901-02 on debut and 146 versus England at The Oval in 1905 in his last Test.

Bill Ponsford, 110 versus England in Sydney in 1924-25 on debut and 266 versus England at The Oval in 1934 in his last Test.

Greg Chappell, 108 versus England at Perth in 1970-71 in Perth on debut and 182 versus Pakistan in Sydney in 1983-84 in his last Test.

The fourth one is India’s Mohammad Azharuddin, with 110 versus England at Kolkata in 1984-85 on debut and 102 versus South Africa in Bangalore in 1999-2000 in his last Test.

So Clarke will join this elite group if he ends his Test career on a high note by hitting a ton and joining the above four greats.

Of these four, only Chappell and Azharuddin scored centuries in their first and last Test innings.

And if (a big if!) Clarke hits a century in this Test he will equal Don Bradman’s record of 29 Test hundreds.

Only three Australians have registered 30 or more Test centuries – Ricky Ponting 41 in 168 Tests, Steve Waugh 32 in 168 and Matthew Hayden 30 in 103.

Then follow Bradman 29 in only 52 Tests and Clarke 28 in 114.

On current form, Clarke hitting a Test ton appears remote but then cricket is a funny game. In this series so far he has scored poorly, 117 runs at a measly average of 16.71 with 38 as his top score.

As Australia is trailing 1-3 in the Ashes 2015 (with Ashes flown to the wind) he is rightly criticised both as a batsman and captain. However, only 19 months ago, Australia had whitewashed England 5-0 in Australia under his leadership.

Also five months ago, Australia had won the World Cup under his captaincy, top scoring with 74 for Australia in the final at the MCG against New Zealand.

I can imagine you readers reminding me that these victories were at home and Australia’s record overseas under Clarke has been poor.

However, his vitriolic critics have forgotten that Australia had defeated a full strength South Africa 2-1 overseas last February-March, winning the first Test at Centurion by 281 runs and the third Test at Cape Town by 245 runs.

And this was against a team which included Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy.

In that series Clarke had made 221 runs at 55.25. His unbeaten 161 was the highest score from both sides in the series.

Also under him Australia had defeated the West Indies 2-0 to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy, winning by nine wickets in Dominica and by 277 runs at Kingston in June.

So let us give Michael Clarke the farewell he deserves, emphasising his positives.