Clarke in the Aussie batting pantheon

[OverratedSanity]

So I just realised that Clarke has 27 hundreds. Found that pretty amazing, thought he was closer to that 20-22 hundred mark. With so many runs behind him, where does he rank among the Aussie all time stakes? He's done the business all over the world, has lots of hundreds in really tough conditions and carried the lineup singlehandedly for almost 2 years when he took over the captaincy. He's probably past his best now and there might not be too much time left for him with his back. Personally think he's up there with the likes of Border already.

 

[Riggins]

Think he'll finish his career as the second-best after Punter, at least in terms of who I've seen.

 

[watson]

Clarke is certainly like Border in that he has been the senior batsman in a team of novices.

 

[Red]

Has been consistently good against all opponents and has excelled against the outstanding SA attack of modern times. Pretty much averages 40 or more against all comers (apart from 2 tests v Bang) and in all countries.

 

[Red]

Think he'll finish his career as the second-best after Punter in terms of who I've seen.

Sits comfortably with Border, SWaugh and Ponting in terms of Aus batsmen I've seen.

 

[harsh.ag]

God
.
.
Punter Chappell
Waugh Border
Trumper Harvey
Clarke Hayden Morris McCabe Simpson
Martyn Boon .....

 

[Riggins]

Hopefully the emergence of Warner and Smitty as genuine test-quality batsmen will reduce a bit of the burden on him and he can manage to stick around in some capacity for 3 more years or so. Another 6 months of Australia sucking after the '13 Ashes and I reckon he would have pulled the pin.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Sits comfortably with Border, SWaugh and Ponting in terms of Aus batsmen I've seen.

Hayden?

 

[vic_orthdox]

Geez, tough to say as he is a guy with his body who could really end up going backwards all of a sudden, or play till he's 38 and have the best record.

If he finished now, he'd be behind Border/Waugh/Ponting for mine.

 

[Prince EWS]

Mark Nicholas has ruined the word 'pantheon' forever IMO.

 

[Dan]

He's gotta be right up there -- such a good player. Tough knocks against fast bowling where he's fought his way through in a fashion comparable to Waugh, shouldering the burden of an entire batting line-up like Border, making lazily elegant tons in the vein of Chappell, and a dominance over quality spin bowling that Punter could only dream of.

I consider him somewhat similar to PEWS's analysis of Chris Woakes, actually (only at a higher skill level) -- he's got the tools in every single department of batsmanship, and is great at them all, but isn't quite ATG at any single one of them, as the men mentioned above obviously were.

I get the feeling he'll be remembered not dissimilarly to Neil Harvey, only with less of the "better back in my day" rubbish -- that third 'tier' of batsmanship -- when he really should be up there with the "Best Since Bradman" group.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Think Neil Harvey is a really good comparison to be honest. Had their start in great teams, and was the one great batsmen left over in the ongoing decade. Both renowned as great players of spin too.

 

[bagapath]

Don Bradman
Greg Chappell
Allan Border
Ricky Ponting
Neil Harvey
Steve Waugh
Michael Clarke
Matty Hayden
Victor Trumper
Bill Ponsford
Stand McCabe

 

[Burgey]

I don't get the Hayden love tbh. Terrific player (I wrote the definitive tribute piece on his retirement after all) but I don't know that he quite belongs in this company.

I don't really recall him playing top class fast bowling in difficult conditions as well as some of the others in Bagapath's list. Certainly a bruising, domineering player at his best though. He often set the tone for that Australian side with the way he went about it.

 

[91Jmay]

Dan smartly paying Clarke the highest compliment he can by linking him to Chris Woakes.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

If he finished now, he'd be behind Border/Waugh/Ponting for mine.

As a Pom I rate them all higher than Clarke. They made me fear them which I don't get with Clarke. Clarke to me is a better version of Mark Waugh, a player great to watch but you always feel you have a chance with him.

 

[OverratedSanity]

As a Pom I rate them all higher than Clarke. They made me fear them which I don't get with Clarke. Clarke to me is a better version of Mark Waugh, a player great to watch but you always feel you have a chance with him.

Yeah but I feel Clarke has that ability to switch into overdrive at some point in his innings which none of the others apart from Ponting had. Infact, when Clarke goes into that 7th gear, he's about as deadly as any batsman ever. I've rarely seen a batsman handle a quality attack the way Clarke dismantled SA at Adelaide or Capetown, for example. Lara-like almost.

 

[91Jmay]

Clarke I would certainly rate above Waugh, although both obviously great players. Never saw Border, my impression is that he wasn't as destructive as Clarke though?

 

[watson]

FTR Clarke's 259* against South Africa in Brisbane (2012) had a Strike Rate of 65. His 230 shortly after in Adelaide was even better and had a Strike Rate of 89. Both innings featured Steyn and Morkel.

65 and 89 are both very impressive numbers.

 

[Spikey]

clarke in god mode is just so ridiculous