The Michael Clarke appreciation thread

[GingerFurball]

Originally Posted by Jayzamann

Thing is, if Clarke (who is still young) can throw himself into t20 with an IPL franchise and for NSW, play a few dozen games a year, who knows where he'll be in 24 months? We might even have a thread without a hint of irony. !!!

If you were a NSW selector, would you pick him for the Big Bash?

NSW are the current Champions League holders, have won the Big Bash once and been runners up once, why would they disrupt what's been a good team in order to fit in a player who isn't a proven T20 player?

edit:
Warner
Watson
Hughes
Katich
Thornley
Henriques
D. Smith
S. Smith

Where exactly does Clarke fit into that lineup?

[vic_orthdox]

Originally Posted by slippy

If Michael Clarke wants to continue playing twenty 20 cricket for Australia he has to open the batting, then he can beat the field by playing orthodox cricketing shots in the first 6 overs.

Would he be more effective? Yes.
Would he be more effective than other options? No.

[vic_orthdox]

Originally Posted by GingerFurball

If you were a NSW selector, would you pick him for the Big Bash?

NSW are the current Champions League holders, have won the Big Bash once and been runners up once, why would they disrupt what's been a good team in order to fit in a player who isn't a proven T20 player?

edit:
Warner
Watson
Hughes
Katich
Thornley
Henriques
D. Smith
S. Smith

Where exactly does Clarke fit into that lineup?

He'd play ahead of Thornely, no doubt. Even before Thornely missed out on a contract.

[NUFAN]

Originally Posted by GingerFurball

If you were a NSW selector, would you pick him for the Big Bash?

NSW are the current Champions League holders, have won the Big Bash once and been runners up once, why would they disrupt what's been a good team in order to fit in a player who isn't a proven T20 player?

edit:
Warner
Watson
Hughes
Katich
Thornley
Henriques
D. Smith
S. Smith

Where exactly does Clarke fit into that lineup?

He fits in at 5 in that lineup, seeing as though Thornley doesn't have a contract with NSW.

Edit: Beaten!

[andyc]

Would much rather see a youngster like Khawaja playing there though.

[NUFAN]

Yeah I would rather Khawaja, Haddin and NSW's overseas recruitment Dilshan too.

Maybe Clarke could be an ambassador for the new World Series that Hrithik is creating

[GingerFurball]

Originally Posted by NUFAN

He fits in at 5 in that lineup, seeing as though Thornley doesn't have a contract with NSW.

Edit: Beaten!

Fair enough, was just listing names off the top of my head. Surely though, from a NSW perspective, there'd be as much value in developing Khawaja as a T20 player?

[vic_orthdox]

Originally Posted by GingerFurball

Fair enough, was just listing names off the top of my head. Surely though, from a NSW perspective, there'd be as much value in developing Khawaja as a T20 player?

Maybe purely from a cricketing operations perspective, but from a Cricket NSW point of view, they'd much rather have Clarke playing for crowds, promotion, sponsors and also keeping Cricket Aus. happy.

[Top_Cat]

Yep agreed. And if Clarke has serious amibitions to be a serious T20 player, than NSW (seriously) have to give him a spot and he needs an IPL contract (seriously). He needs time on the park post-haste.

[pasag]

Which IPL side would buy him? I can't see any way he'd get a contract now.

[Top_Cat]

Originally Posted by pasag

Which IPL side would buy him? I can't see any way he'd get a contract now.

Surely another bonanza Test run + some humility re: contract price would surely see him get a contract. Some T20 runs for NSW would help too. If he was serious about it, can't see how any team wouldn't prefer him in the side over lower-tier state players because I reckon the perception is more that Clarke isn't that interested in the format rather than being objectively crap at it. Change that perception and he'll be in demand.

[Sir Alex]

Can't see anything above 250k quoted fetching him an IPL contract tbh

[Top_Cat]

Yeah, agreed. Was thinking more like < $100k.

[Jono]

Bangalore should buy him to take the piss and leave him on the sidelines.

"You score slower than Dravid and Kallis, so you're not playing"

[pasag]

Originally Posted by Jono

Bangalore should buy him to take the piss and leave him on the sidelines.

"You score slower than Dravid and Kallis, so you're not playing"

Seriously though, with Clarke, the fact that:

a) he'll usually miss half the season
b) will drop out of the tournament at the drop of a hat
c) he's horrible

will mean no side will touch him with a 20 foot pole. As if you'd waste one of your four precious spots on him.

He would have easily gotten a contract in IPL 1, probably 2 and even 3 if he put his price down, because there was still a myth that he's a good loi player, but now the cat is out of the bag.