A Farewell Tribute to Michael Clarke, the 43rd Australian Cricket Test Captain !

[AHLUNGOR]

A Farewell Tribute to Michael Clarke, the 43rd Australian Cricket Test Captain !


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Played 245 Test for Australia, made 8,643 runs with a batting average of 49.10, 28 centuries, 27 half centuries, high score: 329 not out vs India at the SCG.

Bowling: 31 Test Wickets, 5 wickets in an innings x 2, Best bowling 6/9

One Day Ineternational:

245 matches, 7,981 runs, batting average 44.58, 8 centuries, 58 half centuries, high score: 130. Best bowling: 5/35


Five of Michael Clarke's best moment in Test Crickets:

This is in addition to leading Australia beating England 5-0 to regain the Ashes in 2013/14. Beating South Africa 2-1 in South Africa to regain the no. 1 Test country and Leading Australia in winning the Cricket World Cup.


1. Making 151 on début vs. India in Bangalore, October 2004

2. Taking 3 wicket with 5 runs in the final overs when the test series was destined for a draw - to win the test match v India at SCG, January 2008

3. Making 329 not out - against India again, at the SCG again in 2012

4. Batting with a fractured shoulder, bad back and all, put together a 430-minute knock of 161 not out as the team reached 494 in the first innings. vs. South Africa in Cape Town in 2014

5. Clarke was at odds with Cricket Australia leading into last year's Test series against India, but when Phillip Hughes died after being hit by a ball at the Adelaide Oval, any personal squabbles became inconsequential as the nation mourned.

One of Hughes's closest friends in the cricketing community, Clarke was a bastion of strength and leadership throughout the whole ordeal.

A clearly emotional Clarke took the field in the delayed first Test in Adelaide despite concerns about his back and hamstring, but his innings looked over when he aggravated his back injury while on 60.

He returned on day two to a standing ovation and, wearing an armguard due to his inability to duck bouncers, willed himself to another inspirational century despite battling mental, emotional and physical exhaustion that reduced his strokeplay to a series of awkward pushes and jabs.

It was his only impact on the series with the bat. He was eventually dismissed for 128 — his last century in Test cricket (with one Test left) — and he hobbled off the ground after tearing his hamstring while fielding.


From the young PUP !!


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To a World Class batsman !!


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To Captain Courageous !!


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And a national Statesman !!


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Thank you Michael Clarke, you have done your country proud !!

Live well and enjoy your life after Cricket !!


Cheers

Cheers

Cheers

:smile::smile::smile:

[rooter]

Clarke was a very good captain and arguably one of the greats ( I think he falls just short of being one of the greats)
The most admirable thing about Clarke is that he played most of his career with a chronic back injury; often playing in pain, on painkillers, getting treatment during the breaks, and sometimes missing matchers or entire series. etc.
He is already one of the best ever Australian batsmen - injury free he could have maybe been the 2nd best after Bradman.

[AHLUNGOR]

Clarke was a very good captain and arguably one of the greats ( I think he falls just short of being one of the greats)
The most admirable thing about Clarke is that he played most of his career with a chronic back injury; often playing in pain, on painkillers, getting treatment during the breaks, and sometimes missing matchers or entire series. etc.
He is already one of the best ever Australian batsmen - injury free he could have maybe been the 2nd best after Bradman.


Thanks brother rooter,


Here are some more career highlights of Michael Clarke:


On 22 November 2012, Clarke scored a double century at the Adelaide Oval, making him the only Test batsman to ever achieve four double centuries in a calendar year. He won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, thereby winning the Cricketer of the Year 2013 and also the Test Cricketer of the Year 2013.[4] He led Australia to a 5–0 whitewash of England in the 2013–14 Ashes series for the first time since 2006–07 Ashes series. He was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2010 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.[5] He was named Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2012 in 2013 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.[6]

After announcing he would retire from One Day cricket after the end of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Clarke starred in the final against New Zealand top scoring with a score of 74 off 72 balls, as Australia won their fifth World Cup title. He was bowled when nine runs were required to win and received a standing ovation from the 93,013 strong MCG crowd after his dismissal.

Michael Clarke has also won the Allan Border Medal four times (tied with Ricky Ponting ):

2004: Ricky Ponting
2005: Michael Clarke
2006: Ricky Ponting
2007: Ricky Ponting
2008: Brett Lee
2009: Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke
2010: Shane Watson
2011: Shane Watson
2012: Michael Clarke
2013: Michael Clarke


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Tests Highlights :


Clarke's debut Test score of 151 was made against India in Bangalore, 2004–05;[59] he then made 141 against New Zealand in November 2004 on his debut on home-soil at the Gabba (Brisbane, Australia),[60] making him the only Australian to score a century on both home and away debuts.

His best Test bowling figures of 6 for 9 (6.2) came against India, Mumbai, 2004–05.[61]

His first Ashes century came in December 2006, when he hit 124 at the Adelaide Oval to help Australia to victory.[62]

He dismissed India's last three batsman in five balls on the fifth day of the 2nd Test against India on 6 January 2008.[63]

He won Australian Man of the Series in the 2009 Ashes Series. He was nominated by England team director Andy Flower for his "excellent batting".

He was named full-time one-day and Test captain of Australia on 29 March 2011.[64]

Clarke's highest Test batting score of 329* was made on 5 January 2012 against India. This is the highest Test match batting score at the Sydney Cricket Ground,[39] and the fourth best Test match batting score of all time by an Australian.[65]

Clarke followed up his 329* in Sydney with 210 in Adelaide, thereby joining Don Bradman and Wally Hammond as the only players to have made a triple century and a double century in the same series.[66]

Clarke's score of 259* made at the Gabba on 9 November 2012 against South Africa is the highest Test score at the ground.[67]

Clarke is the only Test batsman to reach four double centuries in a single calendar year, with a double century (230) at the Adelaide Oval on 22 November 2012.[68]

[imaragingbull]

Bro AHL, does he make your top 10 Australian players of the last 30 or so years?

AB, Warne, McGrath, Ponting, Hayden, Gilly, S.R.Waugh

The above a locks for mine

That leaves: Taylor, Langer, M.E.Waugh, Martyn, Hussey, Boon, Heals, McDermott, Lee, Gillespie

Tough making that list, I think he would go close and he certainly has a great set of stats there

[AHLUNGOR]

Bro AHL, does he make your top 10 Australian players of the last 30 or so years?

AB, Warne, McGrath, Ponting, Hayden, Gilly, S.R.Waugh

The above a locks for mine

That leaves: Taylor, Langer, M.E.Waugh, Martyn, Hussey, Boon, Heals, McDermott, Lee, Gillespie

Tough making that list, I think he would go close and he certainly has a great set of stats there


Haha, brother Bull, you are really forcing my hands right here, so I need to make a confession now:

I am only a very recent fans to the great game of cricket, I had not much idea about the game and it's players say back 10 years!

To be totally honest, for so many years, whenever I saw the cricket on TV, I would find the game boring and since I didn't understand the rules and the techniques, I thought, how could you play a game for 5 days and the score lines were like: 0,0,0,0,1,0 ??...............lol

And thanks to you know who ? The lovely Lara "Where the bloody hell were you" Bingle, when she started dating and got engaged to Michael, and I started to notice this good looking couple and thought, bloody hell, Michael Clarke, you are one bloody lucky bastard. Then I started watching Clarke played and slowly starting to follow him and the cricket team and the rest was history !!

So, back to your question, I have never watched many of the greats you mentioned above played, to me and based on my very limited knowledge and experiences on Crickets, I have watched a little bit or Ponting and Adam Gilchrist and Brad Lee - then it was pretty much the current/retiring team of Clarke, Watson and Haddin and company............

BTW, I must also mentioned that watching David Warner played his debut 20/20 game for Australia was really exciting and got me going for sure !!

[imaragingbull]

Great to hear mate!

Good to see you begin to love the game! He had many compelling statistics that you posted before!

I'm sure we'll see him around for some time yet, be it in commentary, coaching or adds with Kyly!

[AHLUNGOR]

Great to hear mate!

Good to see you begin to love the game! He had many compelling statistics that you posted before!

I'm sure we'll see him around for some time yet, be it in commentary, coaching or adds with Kyly!


Since you mentioned Kyly,

I saw this reply from the same thread I posted in the other forum and there may be stuff behind the scene that I am not aware of, any brother read any gossip about this:



Ya bloody great captain !!!!!!!! His missus got all the other women off side .He didn't travel with the team in the team bus .He went by hire car with his woman !!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Captain indeed !!!!!!!!!!!!!!


At the end of the day, Cricket is a sports, a team sports but still very much largely depends on individual performance, I agree being the Australian Cricket Captain has a lot more other responsibilities on and off the field, but to be rated as a player - we really should base that on his performance in playing cricket on field rather than off right ?

[imaragingbull]

Yes, as a player that is what matters - delivering results.

But as a leader?

- being distant from your team?
- letting personal grudges affect which players' career you want to destroy/end (Katich, Symonds)
- letting players be suspended for not completing 'homework' in India?

I guess there are many reasons that there has being a lack of tributes to Clarke as a leader amongst his team... Interesting stuff

He led the team tremendously through the Hughes tragedy, I'm not forgetting that.

[pro_seeker]

Bro AHL, does he make your top 10 Australian players of the last 30 or so years?

AB, Warne, McGrath, Ponting, Hayden, Gilly, S.R.Waugh

The above a locks for mine

That leaves: Taylor, Langer, M.E.Waugh, Martyn, Hussey, Boon, Heals, McDermott, Lee, Gillespie

Tough making that list, I think he would go close and he certainly has a great set of stats there

He'd get close but no. Your top 6 are lock ins for sure. Add Langer, M Waugh, Hussey and Brett Lee for your top 10 from 90s to now. Too many from earlier eras to mention here!