CLARKE BACK TO HIS BEST

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It was only a year ago that cricket lovers and critics as well as the Australian media were crying in unison for the head of Michael Clarke, the then Australian vice-captain for poor performances on the field with the bat, especially after the debacle for the team at the ICC Cricket World Cup in India, when the team was knocked out in the Quarter Finals by the eventual champions, India. The uproar regarding Clarke intensified when he was given the responsibility of leading the team when Ricky Ponting stepped down from his post as captain after almost 10 years at the helm.

But since being appointed captain of the Baggie Greens, Clarke has been a revelation, letting his bat do the talking on the pitch and making smart moves off the pitch with team selections and press conferences, all in the betterment for the once mighty Aussies. His final participation for the Baggie Greens was a 117 in losing cause against Sri Lanka in the second of the Commonwealth Bank Series finals, with Michael Clarke limping off after the 37th over due to a hamstring injury that has put him in doubt for the upcoming Tour of The West Indies.

One innings that defined the coming of age of Michael Clarke was the 329 in the Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground and since then, he has been in blistering form, scoring runs at will and leading by example, something that is expected of a captain.

And this series has clearly pointed out to all and sundry that Clarke is not only back to his best, fulfilling his immense potential now but also points out that he is the man to lead The Aussies back to the summit of world cricket that they graced for more than a decade.

ALL GOES TO PLAN

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The way the Test series against Indian panned out could surely not have gone any closer to the plan for Michael Clarke. He helped captain his side to a devastating 4 – 0 whitewash, was the top scorer of the series, and scooped the Player of the Series award.

Ever since Clarke has taken over the captaincy from Ricky Ponting, his batting has been far more assured, and this is reflected in his average. The dominance and swagger he possesses at the crease now makes it hard to believe just how void of confidence he was only 12 months ago during the Ashes series Australia surrendered to England.

In the 2nd Test match of the series, Clarke registered a score of 329 not out, an amount of runs only 71 behind what is the world record score for the highest individual innings ever in Test match cricket. Clarke was well set to go on and not only achieve that score, but totally eclipse it against a fairly abject Indian bowling attack.

However, the timing of his declaration during that innings which left him stranded on such a score, when only a few more runs would have had him overtake Mark Taylor’s highest ever score, was a deafening message of how Clarke was a team man and a captain who would not let personal milestones get in the way of the team’s objectives.

He then followed this up with another double century during the 4th Test, and now after such a prolific Summer, there are calls for him to move up to the number 3 slot in the batting order. Regardless, this has been an unforgettable Summer for Michael Clarke, and if his captaincy continues on the path it appears destined for, Australia will very shortly be at the top of the Test match pecking order.