Michael Clarke

[Rik E Boy]

If dont get me wrong i would love to see White come into the side but do you really believe you could thrust the captaincy on him straight away, i mean the bloke has played stuff all 5 day cricket never mind captain it.

That's irrelevant. The same strategies, bowling changes, field placements as such remain the same in a four day match as they do in a five day match. Give him the job.

regards,

REB

[D14]

sorry i didnt mean he would be their in 2013, i just dont think we can drop Ponting as it stands right now while there isnt a next captain in waiting, Clarke is probably the only option but cant hit a run at the moment himself so he cant be made captain.

My team for Bangladesh

Katich
Hughes
Watson
Hussey
Khawaja
White
Haddin
Johnson
Hauritz
Siddle
Copeland

12th Madinson

As skipper I'd have White or Katich, two players who have lead their states to the Sheffield Shield. Ponting cannot remain in the side just because he is captain becaue he is a 5hit captain anyway.

regards,

REB

Katich and Hughes probably wouldn't run each other out and it would be good to see Watson come in when the ball is a little older and maybe he might make it out of the 90's.

[smithy]

From robert Craddock

AUSTRALIAN cricket has moved into dangerous territory by appointing a Test captain who is unloved around the nation.
We wish Michael Clarke the very best for his first challenge as Australian Test captain but the facts are the facts.

Clarke woke in Sydney yesterday to read the back page of The Daily Telegraph newspaper, which called him Mr 15 per cent.

In their survey of more than 3000 fans, that is how many people saw him as our next Test captain.

And that's his home town. Simon Katich beat him in the vote and he will never play another Test.

Fifteen per cent is the sort of figure you would expect the Loch Ness Monster to poll if you tossed his name in for fun.

It is always a dangerous move to appoint a Test captain who people don't particualy like because it is so important that the man who stands at the very top of Australia's cricketing totum pole our hearts with him.

You don't have to love him but Australian cricket needs you to respect him and wish him well.

If he doesn't have respect throughout our wide brown land, the whole cricketing structure never seems quite right.

Over the last 26 years Australia has taken for granted that its captain carries our deepest respect and affection.
Even if you didn't like his field placings or his love of a sharp word to umpires you had to admire Ricky Ponting's unpretentiousness and the quaintness of his rise from the backblocks of Launceston to the Test captaincy.

Ponting is a cold, distant sort of character, but there is no airs or graces about him and he is never bitter, malicious or petty.

He is who he is and because of that he is almost impossible to dislike. There is no sham to Ponting.

Steve Waugh, who rose from working class Bankstown to greatness, gained similar respect from around the nation, particularly for the way he enhanced the iconis status of the baggy green cap.

Mark Taylor was not so much loved but deeply admired as a shrewd tactician and chivalrous statesmen who smiled and soildered on in good times and bad.

Allan Border may have got grumpy at times but was forgiven for all sins because for too many years its was Border or bust and he somehbow held the job through 10 years without losing his sanity.

I wish Clarke well for his first posting as Australian captain and just have a feeling it will flush him into form but let's tell it how it is ... he still has a lot of respect to earn.

Board members, selectors and fellow team-mates have had trouble warming to Clarke, perhaps because they were not sure what to make of him which makes a him a contrast to Ponting who has always been what he has been - a man of simple tastes who likes cricket golf, greyhounds, horses and football.

Clarke, by contrast, is the some of many confusing parts. He grew up in working class Liverpool, in Sydney's west.

But though he is part working class, he is also part yuppy with the flash cars, the trendy mates, the tattoos the horny girlfriend, the frendships with Shane Warne and Brian Lara ...

As a batsman he was an instant winner of the Allan Border Medal in his first season of international cricket but he has never quite won our hearts.

When Clarke won the AB Medal there was a revealing shot of his teammates in the background, giving the mildest applause you have seen. Many of them felt Damien Martyn deserved it more.

Cricket Australia is worried about his lack of popularity because they know how important it is. And because you can't order people to like someone. And nor should you.

Either it's there or it's not. Respect should be earnt.

Clarke now has the chance to earn it.

Players can change their image and starting with Australia in such desperate straits may yet be a bonus.

A win or even a draw would be progress in Sydney and a loss would hardly be seen as his fault. People accept that if his team was a poker hand he would be holding perhaps a pair of twos and a pair of fours, enough to keep you in the contest but hardly anything that is going to make rivals tremble.

Clarke has been handed the most privileged positions in Australian sport we must all hope he makes the most of it.

[Media Park]

The new Test Captain of Aus...

Judging on recent history, AB, Tubby, Tugga, Punter, they won't want a Captain for a series or two, they'll go long term...

[Pup]

Some other interesting Michael Clarke stats

-he has been dismissed 100 times in test cricket now

*31 of them times it has been for under 10 runs.
*60 of those times he has been CAUGHT
*the ground he averages the most at is surprise surprise the batters paradise Adelaide Oval where he averages 84.86
*second is Hobart where he also averages 80.67
*at his home ground the SCG, where the 5th test will be played he averages 29.40
*in South Africa he averages 28.20 per innings
*the countries he averages the most against is Sri Lanka @ 216 and New Zealand @ 60.18
*his worse batting has been in the second innings of matches where he averages 44.15
*his best batting has been in the fourth innings where he averages 52.78 but it does include a couple of not outs.

Haha not hard to pull stats in your favour is it?

He also averages 74 @ the Gabba and 41 @ the G and the WACA, So the only ground he averages less than 41 at is the SCG which you forgot to put in. I am not sure but i dont think the other 3 i mentioned are batters paradises are they?

He has played 3 matches against South Africa in South Africa hardlly a realistic time to look @ averages is it? Your forgot to mention that he also averages 52 against SA who probably have the most Potent bowling attack in the world or one of them.

Against the top 3 sides ( England, India and SA) He averages over 40 against all England @ 47, India @ 40 and SA @ 52.

[Pup]

*his worse batting has been in the second innings of matches where he averages 44.15
*his best batting has been in the fourth innings where he averages 52.78 but it does include a couple of not outs.

Dont really see how these are relevant either given he averages over 44 in every innings.

Hardly bad figures?

And as for credits in the bank lets see.

2008- 1063 runs @ 50.61

2009- 1042 Runs @ 54.84

2010- 771 Runs @ 36.71 (Yes a lean year and 2 poor tours but as you can see before that his form was fantastic)


Lets compare that to Hussey over the same period of time who you seem more than happy to stay in the side now he has had a good summer.

2008- 900 Runs @ 37,

2009- 804 Runs @ 36,

2010- 967 @ 50

[whufc]

*his worse batting has been in the second innings of matches where he averages 44.15
*his best batting has been in the fourth innings where he averages 52.78 but it does include a couple of not outs.

Dont really see how these are relevant either given he averages over 44 in every innings.

Hardly bad figures?

And as for credits in the bank lets see.

2008- 1063 runs @ 50.61

2009- 1042 Runs @ 54.84

2010- 771 Runs @ 36.71 (Yes a lean year and 2 poor tours but as you can see before that his form was fantastic)


Lets compare that to Hussey over the same period of time who you seem more than happy to stay in the side now he has had a good summer.

2008- 900 Runs @ 37,

2009- 804 Runs @ 36,

2010- 967 @ 50

Geez if i had whole year at work where my performance was terrible i would no doubt be sacked no matter how good my couple of years before were.

Exactly Hussey has had a GOOD summer so he has earnt the right to stay in the side if he failed at the GABBA he would have been gone.

No coincedence that Clarke is supposedly the best batter in Australia right now and that Australian cricket is at its worst in 15 years.

Clarke is the biggest flat track bully to play in the Australian cricket team in 25 years, his more interested in his outside benefits other than cricket. Michael Clarke is all about the Michael Clarke brand period.

The new Australian test match captain even chose not to sing the song after a victory as a date with Lara Bingle was more important.

[Adelaide Hawk]

I recall Chappell taking over from Lawry in the final Test of the 1970-71 Ashes series, and he wasn't the popular choice of everyone on the board. He lost that Test but went on to become arguably Australia's best Test skipper. Added to this, his batting average went from 37 as a player to 50 while he was captain. He responded to the responsibility as captain, maybe Clarke will as well. Anyone heard the term, "benefit of the doubt"?

[whufc]

According to the Advertiser Ponting and Clarke had a heated disagreement before the WACA test, while the players were inspecting the wicket before the game apparently Clarke was 'fretting' (word used by paper) about the green wicket infront of Hughes. Apparently Ponting didnt think this was what a future captain should be doing infront of a younger team mate.

[Hondo]

Geez if i had whole year at work where my performance was terrible i would no doubt be sacked no matter how good my couple of years before were.

Exactly Hussey has had a GOOD summer so he has earnt the right to stay in the side if he failed at the GABBA he would have been gone.

By these rules Hussey would never have got to have this good summer because he had 2 bad summers before. He should have been dropped after the first bad summer?

[Pup]

According to the Advertiser Ponting and Clarke had a heated disagreement before the WACA test, while the players were inspecting the wicket before the game apparently Clarke was 'fretting' (word used by paper) about the green wicket infront of Hughes. Apparently Ponting didnt think this was what a future captain should be doing infront of a younger team mate.

Heated Disagreement? Didnt recall reading those words? You really are clutching at straws aren't you

I notice you have jumped off stats and jumped back onto public perception. Tell me this when has Michael Clarke ever been uncommitted to this Australian side like you posted earlier? It is the biggest load of rubbish ever! So he has endorsements and is plastered over bill boards and dated a model, not to sure that is a reason to question his commitment? In fact maybe blame the media for some of his unpopularity, Who saw the picture in the Herald Sun today? The previous 5 captains in baggy greens and whites and they decided to pick the picture with Clarke posing without a shirt on.. Pretty ordinary journalism IMO.

[Adelaide Hawk]

From robert Craddock

AUSTRALIAN cricket has moved into dangerous territory by appointing a Test captain who is unloved around the nation.
We wish Michael Clarke the very best for his first challenge as Australian Test captain but the facts are the facts.

I stopped reading right here. Typical Craddock Crap and I wouldn't waste my time reading his articles. "Unloved around the nation", and he calls it FACT???? Craddock, you wouldn't know a fact if it popped up in your porridge.

Geez I hate the media. They actually belief the rubbish they write.

[magpie in the 80's]

Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young argues Clarke's appeal with young fans, especially women, has not been hampered by his relationship hangover.

But it's his Gen Y approach - posing for fashion campaigns, inking exotic mantras on his skin, even Twittering - that has antagonised the old guard.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 5979681544

[smac]

Good. The old guard give me the tom-tits at the best of times. Let the bloke have a crack at it before we judge his performance, surely.

[Gozu]

From robert Craddock

AUSTRALIAN cricket has moved into dangerous territory by appointing a Test captain who is unloved around the nation.
We wish Michael Clarke the very best for his first challenge as Australian Test captain but the facts are the facts.

I stopped reading right here. Typical Craddock Crap and I wouldn't waste my time reading his articles. "Unloved around the nation", and he calls it FACT???? Craddock, you wouldn't know a fact if it popped up in your porridge.

Geez I hate the media. They actually belief the rubbish they write.

I used to not mind Craddock's appearances on The Back Page but then he started to really grate with me. He always comes across as an old lady and tries to place way too much importance on little insignificant things. He talks way too much in absolutes like a lot of the clowns News Ltd hire. "Unloved around the nation" was a poll in News Ltd's NSW paper The Daily Telegraph. How the hell does NSW translate to the whole nation?

[Gozu]

The only time Craddock has any sort of value (and it's not much honestly) is when he recounts behind the scenes stuff that we the public didn't know happened or knew was happening. Things like on TBP when describing Mitchell Johnson's family and how he bought a bike for one family member and then the rest of them all demanded he buy them bikes (right around the time he turned to crap in England in the '09 Ashes with all that mum stuff too) or when he broke that story of Katich choking Pup in the dressing room last year because Clarke wanted to leave the celebrations early to go and have dinner with Bingle at a restaurant.

It's minor stuff and the only value Craddock really has. If I ever come across one of his articles I just skim through it to see if there's any nugget of value in there (i.e. example above, Katich will never play another Test match).

[am Bays]

From robert Craddock

AUSTRALIAN cricket has moved into dangerous territory by appointing a Test captain who is unloved around the nation.
We wish Michael Clarke the very best for his first challenge as Australian Test captain but the facts are the facts.

Clarke woke in Sydney yesterday to read the back page of The Daily Telegraph newspaper, which called him Mr 15 per cent.

In their survey of more than 3000 fans, that is how many people saw him as our next Test captain.

And that's his home town. Simon Katich beat him in the vote and he will never play another Test.

F*** Me!!! Since when has been popular in tabloid newspaper poll in Sydney a pre-requisite or at best even a consideration when choosing who our next test captain should be??

All I want from my captain (Michael Clarke) is runs and tactical nouse. Now people closer to the side know this better than any average poll responder on news.com.au so if they, CA officials think he is good enough to lead the test team then that is all that matters.

[Rik E Boy]

I recall Chappell taking over from Lawry in the final Test of the 1970-71 Ashes series, and he wasn't the popular choice of everyone on the board. He lost that Test but went on to become arguably Australia's best Test skipper. Added to this, his batting average went from 37 as a player to 50 while he was captain. He responded to the responsibility as captain, maybe Clarke will as well. Anyone heard the term, "benefit of the doubt"?

Better than Benaud in your view Hawk?

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

From robert Craddock

AUSTRALIAN cricket has moved into dangerous territory by appointing a Test captain who is unloved around the nation.
We wish Michael Clarke the very best for his first challenge as Australian Test captain but the facts are the facts.

Clarke woke in Sydney yesterday to read the back page of The Daily Telegraph newspaper, which called him Mr 15 per cent.

In their survey of more than 3000 fans, that is how many people saw him as our next Test captain.

And that's his home town. Simon Katich beat him in the vote and he will never play another Test.

F*** Me!!! Since when has been popular in tabloid newspaper poll in Sydney a pre-requisite or at best even a consideration when choosing who our next test captain should be??

All I want from my captain (Michael Clarke) is runs and tactical nouse. Now people closer to the side know this better than any average poll responder on news.com.au so if they, CA officials think he is good enough to lead the test team then that is all that matters.

If we get tactical nouse and 50 runs a test he is way in front.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

From robert Craddock

Not the first crap article from Craddock this summer. He has jumped the shark harder than our bowing attack, Pup and Ricky Ponting. I used to rate this guy but he's losing me fast.

regards,

REB