Michael Clarke Discussion thread

[Richard]

Ironic, no?

Dunno how much of a play conniousseur you are.

 

[Top_Cat]

Dunno how much of a play conniousseur you are.

Not as much as my sheer sense of style would suggest.

EDIT: Was in the band pit for the Burnside Player's version of 'Paint Your Wagon' once. The height of my play-going experience.

 

[pasag]

I know ODIs are a different format, but the fact that he HAS played numerous innings under pressure in ODIs is further proof afaic that he has what it takes. Obviously test matches are more taxing mentally than ODIs, but the evidence is there that he can do it. IMO it's only a matter of done before he shakes the tag in test matches. He'll play a vital hand under pressure in the 2nd dig this match imo.

Yeah, I don't think he won't be able to turn it around, just that until now the stats are pretty indicting. For the record I reckon he'll be the best Test batsman in the world in a couple of years.

 

[pup11]

Yeah, I don't think he won't be able to turn it around, just that until now the stats are pretty indicting. For the record I reckon he'll be the best Test batsman in the world in a couple of years.

Jeez, that's a big call to make....

 

[Richard]

Haha, was going to post those exact lines, then thought "but it's certainly something I consider far from impossible myself" so thought it'd probably give a false impression for me to do so.

 

[pasag]

Jeez, that's a big call to make....

Well once Ponting, Kallis, Hussey etc are gone it'll be a race between him, KP and whoever. They'll also be peaking around that time as well. It may never happen but I'd be suprised if it doesn't at some stage.

 

[honestbharani]

Do think he is special and will be amongst the best batsmen in the world in 2 years, if not THE best.






BTW, I do think Rohit Sharma will be our version of Michael Clarke too. Runs in debut with a lot of flash, then some runs, then few failures, captain defends him coz of talent, fans defend him coz his strokes look oh so good... Then more failures, gets dropped, comes back few matches later, starts batting better, and all that..



Heck, I bet there will be a similar thread about Rohit Sharma in the not too distant future...

 

[Xuhaib]

Well once Ponting, Kallis, Hussey etc are gone it'll be a race between him, KP and whoever. They'll also be peaking around that time as well. It may never happen but I'd be suprised if it doesn't at some stage.

Younis Khan?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Are you all saying that he is effectively the Australian Ian Bell

Well, Mr Bell averages 43.08 by NUFAN's proposed measure.

Either he's better at handling pressure or the measure simply isn't that good.

 

[Richard]

Younis Khan?

Sadly, he'd need to play if he were to have a chance, something there isn't any instant prospect of.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Can see it as a problem but he's such a young bloke (in age and Test career), you'd think he'd start to correct it soon enough. He's had to work on so many aspects of his game, this is another and I doubt he's be unaware. Dunno why people are expecting him to be the 'gun' in the team, even Ponting and Steve Waugh weren't at the same stages of their careers.

He has scored some tough runs; the scores don't give it away but in his first Test, the team was under some pressure, Kumble was threatening to run through the rest of the side. So he can do it. Just needs to work at demonstrating it more often. It's definitely not as simple 'Michael Clarke crumbles under pressure'.

He's not that young. 27 isn't old or anything, but he should be past the "prodigy" stage now. Made his debut 4 years ago too now, so hardly wet behind the ears in that respect either.

The Bell comparison others have made is superficially appealing; both look a million dollars at the crease and both have a habit of getting out in infuriating ways. Whereas other bastmen in their repsective teams (say Katich and Collingwood) don't look so easy on the eye, but you'd back to grind out the "hard" runs.

Clarke also seems to have a habit of being dismissed just before stumps, which isn't a desireable quality in batsmen.

 

[Athlai]

Difference between Bell and Clarke coming in at a collapse is pretty vast IMO. For Bell it's business as usual, for Clarke it means someone got out the best in the world.

 

[Richard]

The Bell comparison others have made is superficially appealing; both look a million dollars at the crease and both have a habit of getting out in infuriating ways.

... and they're both short, blonde and cutey-faced. IMO this makes a huge impact. The "soft" accusation just fits a player with the cosmetics so much more easily than it would one without.

Clarke also seems to have a habit of being dismissed just before stumps, which isn't a desireable quality in batsmen.

Well he's been out to the last ball of the day twice in consecutive first-innings', but I can't remember off t'top of t'head any others (not to say there aren't any).

 

[Lambu]

I have never particularly rated him as a prodigy or anything at anystage..but yes he has quick footwork and looks good when his strokes come-off.However i disagree that he'll be the best batsman in world at any stage of his career.

 

[2sw33t]

Michael Clarke Performance

Michael Clarke needs to start think how to deal with pressure when the team is not performing very well.

I know it is hard and tuff in these circumstance but he is playing for Australia not NSW.

I just notice the way he bats in a innings seems like "ohh well what ever happens it happens".

The way I see it is that if he does not perform for the next 3 to 4 test match I will be considering replacing him.

It doesn`t matter if australia loses this match but as long as that michael helps iN difficult circumstance and he helps the team to win match well that will boost his mental confidence in the game.

Last thing you want see is him sticking around the team giving small contribution and being the caprtain australia and only winning half the matches but plaing 100 test.

You see players like VVS Laxman & Ganguly who has had played for 100 test looking at record they might see it yeah I have few runs in my statistics but how many games have I won team when the team is not performaing very well.

Both might of done it once or twice but thats all.

 

[Richard]

You see players like VVS Laxman & Ganguly who has had played for 100 test looking at record they might see it yeah I have few runs in my statistics but how many games have I won team when the team is not performaing very well.

Quite a lot actually.

BTW ITSTL to see sweet being turned into sw33t, thought ee becoming 33 was purely a CW-ism.

 

[Precambrian]

I like the bloke, but there are a few technical problems he has to sort out in his batting, esp how his front foot go so across during the start of his innings, making himself in a sort of tangle etc.

And ability to handle pressure in ODIs cannot be compared with tests. Yuvraj Singh is one guy who has done well in pressure situations for India, but has found it difficult in tests.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

BTW ITSTL to see sweet being turned into sw33t, thought ee becoming 33 was purely a CW-ism.

W37C0M 70 DA 1|\|7AR\/\/38Z

 

[GIMH]

... and they're both short, blonde and cutey-faced. IMO this makes a huge impact. The "soft" accusation just fits a player with the cosmetics so much more easily than it would one without.

Well he's been out to the last ball of the day twice in consecutive first-innings', but I can't remember off t'top of t'head any others (not to say there aren't any).

Surprised that you forgot this tbh

 

[Richard]

Ah, but don't you know, that was such a wonderous piece of bowling it'd have got him out regardless of time of day.

Even though he patently obviously picked the slower-ball and simply played down the wrong line.

In seriousness, I do actually think he'd probably have missed that regardless of time of day - he missed a similar length ball from Harmison (at normal speed this time) in that Super Series rubbish six-dayer.