Tuesday, July 6, 2010

DEAR MR. MICHAEL CLARKE

Dear Mr. Michael Clarke,

Over past few months, everyone has witnessed your continuous struggles at coming to terms with the newest form of cricket... Twenty20. What makes this situation comic (atleast for a neutral spectator like me) is that you are the captain of your country's international Twenty20 squad.

Last year, when Lalit Modi had claimed that you withdrew your name from the IPL auctions because you were scared of the humiliation of not being sold at you 'high' base price, I was scoffing. The story looked a little far-fetched! But now, I can almost believe it. To put it in very soft words for you, your batting in Twenty20 is pathetic!

Let me first revisit you Twenty20 batting record for you: 32 matches, 26 innings, 442 runs at an average of 21.04 and a strike rate of 101.14 with the help pf 22 fours and 9 sixes. Your highest score of 67 is your only 50+ score in Twenty20 internationals.

You have played just 5 innings in your career where you have scored more than 20 runs at a strike rate of 105+. And let me remind you, 18 of your 26 innings have been played at positions 1 to 4. You have not managed to score at a strike rate of 100+ in your last 8 matches now. And all those 8 matches were played as a captain! Frankly, I have never known a more under-performing captain.

I know I shouldn't compare, but Virendra Sehwag's ODI strike rate is higher than your Twenty20 International strike rate. And David Obuya has more 50+ scores than you. And to think that you are a captain of a team that has dominated world cricket for over one and a half decades!

Now here's my humble suggestion. It would do a lot of good if you voluntarily opt out of this form of cricket. It will save you the embarrassment of being sacked despite being the captain. It will hugely benefit your team. It will help a lot of fans who want to watch good cricket action. It will benefit the game of cricket indeed!

You are a wonderful batsman in the other forms, a delight especially in Tests. But having struggled in Twenty20s for so long now, I think you should be wise enough to make a call. There are enough youngsters in the Aussie structure to fill you relatively tiny boots. The captaincy can be well handled by Cameron White. So, I guess you have understood my point.
You can contact me anytime on this blog if you need more advice for the advancement of your career. I am always ready to help everyone... even Shane Watson!

Take care. Waiting for your retirement press conference dates,

SJ.

2 comments:

Wes playforcountrynotforself said...

Hello Shridhar,
I think he should get bloody dropped. As long as Oz keep insisting on playing him for the sake of formality they aren't taking T20 seriously. They should try to become the best team in all formats, and that means selecting suitable players. It is stupid really, and the majority of the Oz fans probably agrees on that. I can't see him change his playing style at any point in the future, it's not looking like he is going to break the chains like Collingwood or Hussey, so why keep playing him. He will always be the millstone around his team mates' necks.... as the captain! /rant

Cheers,
Wes

~ Play For Country Not For Self ~

Unknown said...

"I can't see him change his playing style at any point in the future, it's not looking like he is going to break the chains like Collingwood or Hussey, so why keep playing him."

It's a very good point you make, Wes. Clarke has never shown over the years that he is capable of turning over a new leaf. So unless he has some abilities as a player hitherto unseen... he should get the axe!

SAVE OUR TIGER!