flibbertyjibber
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The Michael Clarke that toured England last time was clearly no flat track bully, just a brilliant player. The one player I am really looking forward to watching next summer.
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Michael Clarke
- Thread starter Xuhaib
- Start date
Xuhaib
International Coach
On current form yes its a shootout between him and Hash.Hash has been more well rounded while Clarke is a better game changer.
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/4578.html?class=1;spanmin1=01+Jan+2011;spanval1=span;template=results;type=allround
Even as captain he is averaging just 37 away which is even below his career away average so yes the jury is still very much out for him. ATM he is ATG material at home while just being fairly OK away.
Hurricane
Hall of Fame Member
Short answer:
I think when it comes down to it I mean the willingness to dig in an do a repair job on an inning.
Long Answer:
Plenty of batsman can score runs if they walk to the crease when the score is 300-3. Not everyone can fight the momentum a bowling side has at 40-3 or even 30-3.
To bat for 4-6 hours or more requires discipline and concentration. That level of concentration and resilience to pressure for hours on end tests character and personality attributes. And the determination needed when the other team is totally amped because a batsman has walked out at 35-4 is unique only to cricket. To succeed when your team is failing requires you to pay a price and that price is concentration and focused emotion. Not everyone can do it. He can. And it takes a toll on you. I remember that Greatbatch paid too much of a price saving one test match and he was never the same afterwards.
BackFootPunch
International 12th Man
I remember the good old days when Clarke was the least scary batsman in the Aussie top 7. Sure he could play an awesome innings and take the game away but I never used to fear him.
Now, however, he's a colossus. If I had to pick a batsman to bat for my financial well being, I'd pick Amla. But if I had to pick a batsman to bat for my life itself, I'd pick Clarke every time.
Now, however, he's a colossus. If I had to pick a batsman to bat for my financial well being, I'd pick Amla. But if I had to pick a batsman to bat for my life itself, I'd pick Clarke every time.
Burgey
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Has Clarke happened to play the vast majority of tests at home since his golden run of form began?
I can't recall his WI stats but he had good tours of SA & SL, as has been noted, plus a pretty good 09 Ashes series. I dunno, is there a country he hasn't tonned up in, Pakistan aside?
I can't recall his WI stats but he had good tours of SA & SL, as has been noted, plus a pretty good 09 Ashes series. I dunno, is there a country he hasn't tonned up in, Pakistan aside?
AlanJLegend
U19 Vice-Captain
Clarke is definitely on the road to being an all time great IMO.
I'll be the first to admit that his double and triple against India was against some absolutely shocking bowling, but I don't think that can really be held against him considering his tons in South Africa and Sri Lanka. Anybody can make a big score on a flat track in a draw, but what I love about Clarke is that he makes big scores and forms massive partnerships with the likes of Cowan, Ponting and Hussey. It is pretty difficult to lose a match after putting on 2x200 parnerships in an innings.
I'll be the first to admit that his double and triple against India was against some absolutely shocking bowling, but I don't think that can really be held against him considering his tons in South Africa and Sri Lanka. Anybody can make a big score on a flat track in a draw, but what I love about Clarke is that he makes big scores and forms massive partnerships with the likes of Cowan, Ponting and Hussey. It is pretty difficult to lose a match after putting on 2x200 parnerships in an innings.
I think this speaks volumes about the way Clarke's batting right now. If you go back a year or two and asked anyone this question (and excluded Bradman from consideration, naturally), most people would jump on the Border, Gavaskar, Boycott or S Waugh train - getting a dour, grinding batsman to be the one batting for your life.
Clarke is not dour. He is not a grinder or a grafter who eliminates risk to bat for long periods of time. He turns games and digs Australia out of trouble while playing his shots and taking the attack to bowlers - the South Africa knock being the crucial example. Plus he alleviates the pressure while he does it, helping out the guy at the other end. It means he builds partnerships and gets the best out of the guy up the other end (200+ with Cowan).
For someone to pick Clarke to bat for their life ahead of a Gavaskar, Border or Waugh (Boycott not such a good example; he'd sell his grandmother for a ton), shows just how good a batsman he is.
Getting back to the point of the OP, one reason Clarke is rarely seen as a home-track bully is because of his technique, IMO. He isn't inherently more susceptible to the swinging or seaming ball a la Sehwag, and he's the best non-Subcontinent player of spin I've seen. His success isn't determined by the state of the pitch. While there is definite correlation between less batting success and playing overseas, I'm not sure there is causation there. Honestly, I reckon it will even itself out as Australia plays overseas over the next couple of years. His form will transfer across.
Teja.
Global Moderator
It's just a function of his purple patch coinciding with some momentous home series' more than anything. He is the best-equipped Oz batsman against spin bowling and can clearly rise up to the occasion against quality bowling on a green top if the situation demands as he has demonstrated.
He looks like he has just entered the form of his life and a good 2-3 years like this would clear out the statistical discrepancies too, I reckon.
He looks like he has just entered the form of his life and a good 2-3 years like this would clear out the statistical discrepancies too, I reckon.
Satyanash89
Banned
Stats show him to be a mediocre player away from home, but he definitely isnt imo... had a great ashes 2009, great tour of SL, played well on tough pitches in WI, and scored probably one of the best hundred of the last decade in SA. Plus, his tons have all come when the team was in dire straits and he got them out of trouble every time.
Then theres the fact that he has the ability to utterly pound the attack with brisk scoring, and looks just effing graceful doing it... yeah he's awesome
The guy is in the form of his life, its kind of like the patch Ponting had in the early-mid 2000s... if he maintains this run for even 2-3 years, he'll become an ATG imo...
Then theres the fact that he has the ability to utterly pound the attack with brisk scoring, and looks just effing graceful doing it... yeah he's awesome
The guy is in the form of his life, its kind of like the patch Ponting had in the early-mid 2000s... if he maintains this run for even 2-3 years, he'll become an ATG imo...
Justo
U19 Debutant
His awesome home stats are probably largely because of a triple and double century not out both of which have come this year(Can't remember if Adelaide was not out either). 500 runs without losing a wicket would provide a major boost to anyone's career stats.
That said loving the way he's been playing. He's had some luck but he never lets the bowlers bog him down and more often than not they end up falling apart when he gets in the groove.
That said loving the way he's been playing. He's had some luck but he never lets the bowlers bog him down and more often than not they end up falling apart when he gets in the groove.
Arachnodouche
International Captain
You see a batsman and you know he's great. His stats of late have been bearing this out with enough weight, but even otherwise, I've never thought of him as a flat track guy. He's probably the most complete Australian batsman to "watch" since Mark Waugh. Footwork, especially against spin, is just about the most beautiful thing going around in cricket today.
BackFootPunch
International 12th Man
Has Clarke ever been called a home track bully anyway? He tonned up on debut in India iirc. They're about the most foreign conditions a young batsman can face early in a career. Fairly sure he put those questions to bed before anyone even asked them.
burr
State Vice-Captain
The thing is with Clarke you knew from his very first innings he was something special; as it turned out, the Ponting of his generation. So it's no surprise (at least to me) he's doing what he's doing now. And I have consistently posted this about Clarke so it's not hindsight. I guess my point is in someways it's vey easy to tell very early on who's going to make it and who's not going to make it at test level. It's why I mourn for the current state of Australia's batting.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
The blokes who really get under-rated in threads are players like Sangakkara and Chanderpaul who are every bit as good as Clarke and have been for a consistently much longer period but don't play high profile series and therefore don't get noticed as much.
Clarke would probably just about make my World XI but it's not clear cut.