Michael Clarke v Gerard Whateley, Ding Ding :
Here is what Whateley said about Clarke on Wednesday:
"In cricketing terms, Michael Clarke has proven himself the last of the great climate deniers.
"When the cultural review identified the phenomenon of the gilded bubble where elite cricketers existed in a parallel universe blessed with wealth and privilege, oblivious to outside perception and influence, it should’ve posted a photo of the former captain at the bottom of the page.
"Clarke’s interpretation of the predicaments of Australian men’s Test cricket is just breathtaking. That he would continue to rely on 'the line' – the fiction his and subsequent teams used to excuse all manner of boorish behavior – might be the single greatest piece of nonsense over the past nine months.
"Australia didn’t know what or where the line was - that’s how it ended up with sandpaper on the field.
"Tim Paine’s Australia isn’t trying to be the most liked team in world cricket. It is very specifically trying to no longer be the most despised team in world cricket, a scourge that is part of Clarke’s legacy.
"It’s why the Test team ranks last in the research measuring the emotional connection of Australian sports fans to its teams.
"The Test summer before us is a critical moment of recalibration, and Paine and his team are left with the tremendous responsibility to restore the national cricketing character. And they frankly deserve better than what Clarke is espousing.
"To hear it, to read it, it just made me angry. The fundamental lack of understanding of what has taken place.
"And Clarke's hand in it - because you can trace a lot of this back to the moment where Australian cricket chose to install Clarke as captain."
Clarke on Twitter last night :
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