Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke

Australia

Full name Michael John Clarke
Born April 2, 1981, Liverpool, New South Wales
Current age 25 years 333 days
Major teams Australia, Hampshire, New South Wales
Nickname Pup, Clarkey
Playing role Lower middle order batsman
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Slow left-arm orthodox
Height 1.78 m

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	27	41	5	1512	151	42.00	2677	56.48	4	5	178	13	20	0
ODIs	101	89	21	2893	105*	42.54	3559	81.28	2	21	254	16	37	0
Twenty20 Int.	5	5	1	49	37	12.25	35	140.00	0	0	0	4	1	0
First-class	80	135	12	5111	201*	41.55			17	18			74	0
List A	162	144	28	4619	105*	39.81	5802	79.61	3	34			61	0
Twenty20	11	11	1	200	46	20.00	149	134.22	0	0			5	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	27	260	128	8	6/9	6/9	16.00	2.95	32.50	0	1	0
ODIs	101	1274	1102	30	5/35	5/35	36.73	5.18	42.46	1	1	0
Twenty20 Int.	5	30	36	1	1/25	1/25	36.00	7.20	30.00	0	0	0
First-class	80	1209	684	15	6/9		45.60	3.39	80.60		1	0
List A	162	1970	1638	55	5/35	5/35	29.78	4.98	35.81	1	1	0
Twenty20	11	81	112	2	1/25	1/25	56.00	8.29	40.50	0	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	India v Australia at Bangalore - Oct 6-10, 2004
Last Test	Australia v England at Sydney - Jan 2-5, 2007
ODI debut	Australia v England at Adelaide - Jan 19, 2003
Last ODI	Australia v England at Sydney - Feb 11, 2007
Twenty20 Int. debut	New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - Feb 17, 2005
Last Twenty20 Int.	Australia v England at Sydney - Jan 9, 2007
First-class span	1999/00 - 2006/07
List A span	2000/01 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2004 - 2006/07

Notes

Allan Border Medal 2005

Profile

Michael Clarke already boasts a possibly unique claim to fame in Australian cricketing folklore: he was anointed as his country's next captain before he'd played a single Test. When he made his debut and a thrilling 151 against India at Bangalore his future looked even brighter than the yellow motorbike he received as the Man of the Match. The amazing ride continued with another stunning century on his home welcome at the Gabba, and his first Test season ended with the Allan Border Medal. Then came the fall.

Barely a year after his debut he was scuffing his feet around Hobart's Bellerive Oval while receiving a call from Trevor Hohns that ended his starburst at 20 Tests. A streak of 531 runs without a century through series against Pakistan, New Zealand, England, the World XI, and West Indies led to his demotion and a desire "to tighten his technique", especially in the early stages against the swinging ball. An unbeaten 201 for New South Wales in the Pura Cup was a brave and swift response, but while he remained a one-day fixture he had to wait until the low-key series against Bangladesh to reclaim his Test place. Three muted innings forced him and his supporters to look to the Ashes to re-determine his international worth. He wasn't meant to play at all, but when Shane Watson tore his hamstring in the lead-up to the first Test Clarke was re-installed and showed his maturity during a stunning series. The flamboyant edges were curved - and usually curbed - and the tinkered outlook brought him 389 runs at 77.80. A century at Adelaide secured his spot, a follow-up hundred in Perth confirmed his future and by the end of the summer he was named vice-captain of the one-day side, although a hip problem ruined his immediate leadership aspirations.

Until his sacking in 2005 Clarke was a ravishing shotmaker with an unshakeable temperament. He did not so much take guard as take off. His arrival was typically the cue for a string of wristy, audacious flashes through the offside. All the while he radiated a pointy-elbowed elegance reminiscent of a young Greg Chappell or Mark Waugh, who, like Clarke, waited long and uncomplainingly for a Test opening and then marked the occasion with a century. Unlike Chappell and Waugh, who learned the ropes in domestic and county cricket, Clarke cut his teeth in Australia's one-day side. His impact in pyjamas was startling: he racked up 208 runs in four games before he was finally dismissed, and after 100 matches averages in the mid-40s at a strike-rate hovering in the 80s. His bouncy fielding and searing run-outs, usually from square of the wicket, add to his run-value, while his left-arm tweakers cajole important breakthroughs, and they also dropped six surprised Indians in the second innings of his fourth Test at Mumbai.

A cricket nut since he was in nappies, Clarke honed his technique against the bowling machine at his dad's indoor centre. Affably down-to-earth, he is meticulous about his hair - it is blond and always looks freshly showered - and adores fast cars. He is proudly patriotic too, wearing an Australian flag on the back of his bat in his early internationals, and before he played a Test he signed a record-breaking A$1.25million deal with Dunlop-Slazenger. "On captaining Australia, I'd love to," he commented early in 2004. "It's another goal and something I'll have to work hard for." He worked hard for his first Test hundred, but made it and the following one against New Zealand look stunningly easy. A future star transformed into a genuine one, but it was not until the 2006-07 Ashes that he proved he was ready for the long haul.