Precambrian
International Cricketer
Michael Clarke : Liability in the ODIs??
Future captain, Solid middle order batsman, handy left arm spinner. Looks pretty good to have such a player any day in your team. And of course, he has shown his utility for Australia in test matches over the last few years, and is a definite pick.
However, when it comes to ODIs, a completely different picture is what he has painted over the last few seasons with the bat. He's been so dire that one suspects if he were not the captain-in-waiting, would he have been picked for so many ODIs. Since 2008, ie, about 16 months, his form has been as under :
An average of less than 30 might not really put off people in ODIs, considering a certain Virender Sehwag and Shahid Afridi etc have played 200+ ODIs with a similar average. However what really goes against his capabilities as an ODI player his pathetic SR of 65. He looks completely out of sync with the requirements of ODIs, prodding and wasting away balls to get settled, and once seemingly settled after consuming precious deliveries, seem to get out with rank bad shots.
No wonder then he has just 6 fifties and not a single century to show for him in ODIs in the last 16 months, and he has come a cropper against the best ODI teams in the world now, Ind and SA, averaging just 28 and 13 respectively. His highest contribution in a matchwinning cause during this period has been just 78.
So, is it time he is given the boot, and Australia give a damn to the policy of preferring captaincy potential over actual performances? I guess a Dave Warner should comfortably add more utility to the side than Clarke.
Future captain, Solid middle order batsman, handy left arm spinner. Looks pretty good to have such a player any day in your team. And of course, he has shown his utility for Australia in test matches over the last few years, and is a definite pick.
However, when it comes to ODIs, a completely different picture is what he has painted over the last few seasons with the bat. He's been so dire that one suspects if he were not the captain-in-waiting, would he have been picked for so many ODIs. Since 2008, ie, about 16 months, his form has been as under :
An average of less than 30 might not really put off people in ODIs, considering a certain Virender Sehwag and Shahid Afridi etc have played 200+ ODIs with a similar average. However what really goes against his capabilities as an ODI player his pathetic SR of 65. He looks completely out of sync with the requirements of ODIs, prodding and wasting away balls to get settled, and once seemingly settled after consuming precious deliveries, seem to get out with rank bad shots.
No wonder then he has just 6 fifties and not a single century to show for him in ODIs in the last 16 months, and he has come a cropper against the best ODI teams in the world now, Ind and SA, averaging just 28 and 13 respectively. His highest contribution in a matchwinning cause during this period has been just 78.
So, is it time he is given the boot, and Australia give a damn to the policy of preferring captaincy potential over actual performances? I guess a Dave Warner should comfortably add more utility to the side than Clarke.
