Roar Rookie
Joined January 2015
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Lifelong Australian cricket fan. Loves test matches.
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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,…
I like Smith at three and Clarke at four. And I think, at that stage of the game, it made sense to push power hitters Maxwell, Faulkner, and Marsh up the order. What I couldn’t understand was why Haddin came out at seven instead of Clarke. Haddin’s strike rate (83.74) is only a bit better than Clarke’s (78.57), and, given that there were only 18 balls left in the game, the effect of this difference would have been negligible. Clarke is a specialist batsman, so he should have come out to bat instead of sending the specialist keeper out. Add to this the fact that Clarke is in desperate need of time in the middle, and I am completely bewildered by the decision.
I think this really highlights what we lose by replacing Bailey in the team with Clarke. This whole situation would not have arisen had Bailey been playing. Bailey (who I thought was starting to find some form) has that power game up his sleeve that Clarke lacks.
Another chance Af-gone-istan after Clarke inexplicably hides
Given his record, Watson *should* be a more reliable batting option than Marsh or Faulkner, but these days he fails to contribute any more than either of them with the bat. Dropping Watson for Faulkner would not especially weaken our batting.
Watson and Bailey the ones in danger of being dumped
Faulkner must come back into the side and, when he does, it should be at the expense of Watson. Though Watson’s career record is superb, he has been outshone by Faulkner and Marsh in recent times. Clarke should only come back into the side if one of the specialist batsmen has been failing dismally. Bailey has scored 55, 46, and 44 in the last three games, so deserves to retain his spot. If they do bring Clarke back into the side, however, then Bailey is surely the man to go.
Watson and Bailey the ones in danger of being dumped
Your justification for the claim that Clarke can’t play spin bowling reads to me like an instruction manual on how to play spin bowling successfully!
I think Clarke plays spin well, but agree that he is weaker against pace bowling. This is the opposite of most of Australia’s other batsmen, who are more comfortable against pace than spin. On that basis, I think that it makes sense for Clarke to bat lower down the order, and let the batsmen who prefer pace bowling bat up the order.
Michael Clarke must retire from ODI cricket immediately
JT, I did not suggest that Clarke is an automatic choice for a captain based on his batting statistics alone. I did make reference to his ‘excellent tactical nous’ as a reason in favour of his choice as captain–not the most rigorous argument, to be sure, but not the fallacious argument you attribute to me either.
I agree with Vas Venkatramani about Clarke’s skills as a tactician. Perhaps, as many have claimed, these tactical skills are not matched by his man-management skills, which would count against his choice as captain. I concede that I have not shown that the former consideration outweighs the latter.
Michael Clarke must retire from ODI cricket immediately
Ok, I revise my view. Clarke should retire from ODI cricket after the world cup, for the reasons I gave in the article. He is welcome, then, to press his case to play in one last world cup. Given Clarke’s ODI record, it is reasonable to have him in the world-cup squad, but given his time out of the game, he should not be guaranteed a spot in the team as soon as he regains his fitness. He should be brought into the team (if fully fit) only if one of the other batsmen has failed consistently in the practice matches and first-round match.
George Bailey should be captain as long as he is in the team—even if Clarke makes his way back into the team. The team will benefit from the stability of knowing for certain who their captain is throughout the tournament. If Bailey is dropped due to poor form, however, then, if Clarke is selected in his place, Clarke should be captain.
Michael Clarke must retire from ODI cricket immediately
I wouldn’t say that Watson has been bowling well. He’s been going for 7.85 an over–one of the worst economy rates for the tournament.
The Aussie XI that will win it all