"Mickey Arthur as coach and Steve Rixon as assistant coach is a great combination" : Michael Clarke

[Abdullah719]

"Mickey Arthur as coach and Steve Rixon as assistant coach is a great combination" : Michael Clarke

KOLKATA: A chronic back problem forced Michael Clarke to call time on a remarkable career when he was just 34. Regarded as the best player of spin in the Australian team during his time, Clarke has since embarked upon a new career as a television pundit. The former Australian captain spoke about all things cricket during an exclusive chat with TOI on Tuesday.

Excerpts:

The India-Australia rivalry seems to have usurped the space left behind by lack of bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan. How do you see this rivalry shaping up?

Being an Australian, I have relished the battle for the Ashes with England, but having played against India in India and also back home, I can tell you that an India-Australia series is no different. The contests have become more intense, as you would expect when two top teams in the world go hard at each other. Also, with top Australian players spending so much time in India because of IPL, I expect more great contests in future.

Do you reckon that for India-Australia rivalry to assume greater significance, India need to win a big series in Australia and vice-versa?

I think the biggest challenge for all international teams, including India and Australia, is to win overseas. All international teams are increasingly becoming hard to beat in home conditions, but struggle to win abroad. To be a stand out team, one has to perform consistently well in all conditions.

How do you rate the current Indian team?

India are the No.1 Test side in the world. They are a very good team. They have a huge opportunity as they are slated to play South Africa, England and Australia abroad over the next 15 months. If they win those three series, they will certainly rank as a great outfit - perhaps one of the best-ever Indian sides.

Do you agree that the shorter formats of the game have adversely affected Test cricket with so many top players opting out of the longest format?

I don't quite agree. What is happening is a lot of senior players are opting out of the longer format at the back end of their careers. AB de Villiers has played over 100 Tests. JP Duminy too has been around for a while. I haven't heard of a junior player who doesn't want to play Test cricket. I think the shorter formats, including the T20 franchise leagues, have contributed enormously to the growth of the game. Without T20 cricket, we might not have seen a David Warner or a Hardik Pandya.

Conventionally, the route to Test cricket was through first-class matches. What do you think of the latest trend where cricketers are graduating to from T20 to ODIs to Test cricket?

I see nothing wrong with that. It sure is another option. My numbers in first-class cricket were not great, but I did well in the shorter format which earned me Test selection.

If you were the Indian captain where would you bat MS Dhoni, keeping in mind the 2019 World Cup?

I would prefer to have Dhoni batting at No. 5. With Virat Kohli at No. 3 and Dhoni at No. 5, the youngsters in the team can bat around them.

You were regarded as the best player of spin in the Australian team. Are you amused by all the 'spin talk' in the ongoing ODI series?

I think most Australian players are not picking Kuldeep Yadav. Look, the key to play spin bowling is to pick which way the ball is going. The best way is to read it early from the bowler's hand. There wasn't one spinner I couldn't pick out of their hand, Murali and Warnie included. The idea is to keep watching the ball as closely as you can. As they say, you've got to see it to hit it.

How do you see this series panning out?

I think Australia can still win the series, but for that they need to find a way to win in Kolkata. The conditions here should suit them.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...e-now-michael-clarke/articleshow/60758967.cms

 

[Abdullah719]

Calcutta: Michael John Clarke, one of the modern-day greats in batting (highest of 329 not out, by the way, in Test cricket) and a successful captain of Australia, spoke to The Telegraph for close to 30 minutes on Tuesday afternoon.

Clarke, who retired in the latter half of 2015, not many months after lifting the World Cup, honoured his commitment despite being disturbed by 20-month-old daughter Kelsey Lee's illness back in Sydney.

Excerpts...

Q Till not too long ago, you'd put your money on Australia winning overseas, irrespective of the conditions. Not so now...

A I think a lot of teams, particularly in Test cricket, are struggling to win overseas. Just shows how hard it actually is to win in conditions you're not used to. Every team is winning at home, but more teams are finding it harder to win overseas. To talk of Australia, we're No. 3 in ODIs, but need to climb the ladder in Tests and T20Is... We lost the first ODI, in Chennai, but I still believe we can win this (five-match) series.

[Since September 15 last year, Australia have won two and lost three Tests away from home. In ODIs, they have won only one and lost as many as nine. Australia haven't played any T20Is overseas in this period.]

What gives you the confidence?

The brand of cricket Australia plays in the first 15 overs. We're aggressive in that period and that aggression needs to be seen across the 100 overs or whatever the total number of overs if the ODI gets truncated. We can't afford to take a step backwards, can't afford to let a team off, as we did in Chennai. India, you will recall, were 87 for five in under 22 overs but went on to reach 281 for seven.

Haven't the Australia teams of late been lacking something?

Consistency probably. Talent isn't an issue, for there's plenty in Australia. There's certainly talent in the team currently touring India.

The impression one gets is that Steve Smith's captaincy is more on the docile side...

Look, Steve's batting has been exceptional... As for his leadership, individuals take time to work out their style of captaincy. Steve is no exception and is working things out. Obviously, success makes it easier for all captains. I'd say the ongoing series is a great opportunity for Steve to set the tone for his captaincy and to make it clear what he wants out of the team. The Ashes aren't far away and Steve's leadership and his style of playing will be critical for Australia.

What do you think is Smith's biggest challenge as captain?

As with the other captains, Steve's biggest challenge is to get the best out of every player. Captains have to deal with different individuals who belong to different age groups and are at different stages in their lives. It's a challenge to get the best out of them.

So, what would you advise Smith?

I wouldn't... Steve has his way of doing things.

Besides Smith the batsman, isn't there too much of a reliance on Mitchell Starc and David Warner?

No. India were five down for 87 in Chennai without Starc and without Josh Hazlewood. Just showed we have the talent and it's not an over-reliance on one or two players... Our bowlers have, indeed, been doing a terrific job... Overall, it's about talent translating into performance.

You were in India during the India-Australia Test series earlier this year and are back again for the shorter formats... How different is Virat Kohli's India from other teams of the past?

Do I find a change? Not really... Sourav Ganguly, I feel, deserves a lot of credit for having changed India's approach and style of play. He wanted his team to be aggressive and play a tough brand of cricket. The captains after Sourav have upheld that brand. Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni, Virat... All different individuals, with their own style of captaincy, but they've remained faithful to the brand introduced by Sourav.

What would you say is this India team's USP?

Virat's men are winning games of cricket and winning consistently. The USP could be that a good squad is being created, not that only playing 11 has good players. To win consistently and to win big series and tournaments, you need a good squad. India are creating one.

To what extent has Virat's leadership been making a difference?

Virat sets the tone by leading from the front. He gets plenty of runs, which alone makes a difference... Besides, Virat has instilled a healthy, fitness culture in the team... Hardik Pandya is so fit, as is KL Rahul... Kuldeep Yadav, who I really like, has lost weight and is much fitter... Dhoni has never been more fit. Virat is leading a very fit team and fitness counts for a lot when so much cricket is being played.

Has the level of Dhoni's fitness at the age of 36 surprised you? He runs harder than most of his younger teammates...

Well, Dhoni is one of the quickest between the wickets that I have ever seen... In Virat and Dhoni, India have a wonderful combination... One can see that Dhoni still does a few things out in the field and Virat has given him that freedom... Dhoni's experience and Virat's aggression add strength to India.

Some remain sceptical, but shouldn't Dhoni be a certainty for the 2019 World Cup?

The way he's playing, Dhoni looks a certainty for the 2023 World Cup! Look, he hasn't lost the passion and if he wants to be there he'll be there, in 2019.

Virat has been giving his bowlers the freedom too...

That's smart captaincy. One person can't do all the things, he can't run the team. Captains need good senior players around them. The better teams have leaders in the XI, not just the captain. A team with 11 leaders/potential leaders would qualify as the best one.

All great batsmen haven't exactly made great captains... Why has that been so?

Because batting and captaining are very different things. Being a great batsman doesn't guarantee you'll be a great captain... Plenty comes with captaining, it's not only about scoring runs. Some can handle captaincy, enjoy it... Some just cannot.

You got big runs as captain and Virat has been doing the same...

Agree. Like I've just said, some can handle captaincy and enjoy it. Like Virat.

What separates great batsmen from the ones just good?

Runs, consistency and wins. How many you score, how consistently and how many matches you win for your team.

Is it the end of the road for Yuvraj Singh?

Not necessarily. If Yuvraj and (Suresh) Raina are scoring big runs and an opportunity comes up, they could return. Obviously, fitness also matters. I've been following Raina on Instagram and he looks fit... It's a problem of plenty for India. There are some great limited overs cricketers who aren't in the 14 or 15.

Some questions away from India and Australia... Have the dynamics of the 50-over game changed?

The game hasn't changed as such, but the T20 format has surely impacted both on Test cricket and on ODIs. Players play the 50-over game a little differently now as it sits between the longest and the shortest formats. There's room for ODIs as it complements Test cricket and the T20 format.

Did Pakistan's Champions Trophy win surprise you?

I was very happy for Pakistan, they deserved to win... Mickey Arthur as coach and Steve Rixon as assistant coach is a great combination and they know how to get the best out of their players.

The West Indies, winners of the first two World Cups, are in real danger of not automatically qualifying for the 2019 World Cup... Your take?

If the West Indies regularly field their best 11, then they'll even go on to win the World Cup. It's about playing with the full-strength team.

[The West Indies, as it turned out, lost to England at Old Trafford and thereby failed to make the cut.]

Last year, Bangladesh beat England in a Test at home, recently they upset Australia... The West Indies chased over 300 to win at Leeds last month, with Shai Hope scripting hundreds in each innings. Great for Test cricket in general?

Great, indeed. Just shows that if you give opportunities, teams will get better. Everybody had written the West Indies off after the first Test, but the world saw what happened at Headingley... Shai's is such a lovely story, a brilliant story... I was very happy for the West Indies. Everybody likes to see the underdogs do well and the West Indies won without the big names... In my view, all cricket-playing nations should be allowed to play the two shorter formats. In fact, the more they spread the better it will be for the game.

AB de Villiers has announced he's again available for Test cricket...

Terrific news... AB's a genius, a superstar.

Wasn't the row between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association poorly handled?

The issue is over, it's done and dusted now. We don't have to worry about it. The players are doing what they do best, which is playing; the administrators are doing what they do best, which is administering.

Could player power increase in years to come?

Frankly, I haven't even thought of it. Players should focus on playing, the administrators on administering.

What best exemplifies cricket?

Two nations competing hard against each other. One will lose, but that's sport.

The last one... You do speak on leadership... What would you tell a room packed with potential leaders?

(Laughs) That would be a paid event, buddy! I cannot give that out in your newspaper.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170920/jsp/sports/story_174141.jsp

 

[hadi123]

Great guy is Michael Clarke. Shame his career had to end relatively early due to injury as he was one of the best players Australia ever produced.

 

[Saj]

I like Arthur's priorities - fitness and discipline.

These 2 skills have been ignored too often in Pakistan cricket.

 

[Hasan123]

Enjoyed this interview from one of my all time favourites. One of crickets great minds.