Friday 16 December 2011

Michael Clarke ( Australia Cricket Team Member )

Michael Clarke

Batting style:      Right Handed bat
Bowling style:    Slow left-arm orthodox
Played for:        Australia, New South Wales, Australia Under-19
Skipper-           Test,ODI,T20 | Batsman

Profile

“Pup” as he is known, started out fairly early in cricket, making his debut for his home team New South Wales against India at the age of 18. Paltry scores notwithstanding, Michael Clarke’s debut was deemed good enough to earn him a scholarship from the Australian Cricket Academy and he went on to captain Australia’s Under-19 team. In the 2001-02 season, he became his team’s highest run-getter, before moving on to England in the winter where he became the first batsman to reach a 200 in the shorter format in Lancashire history. After slamming two consecutive centuries for NSW in 2002, he was selected for an Australia ‘A’ tour to England. Claiming the second best average in the consequent Australia ‘A’ South Africa tour, he became a hot topic for discussion in cricketing circles.

Nearing the 2003 WC, Australia chose to experiment and Clarke was handed his ODI debut. He responded to the call with an unbeaten 39 helping Australia beat England by 4 wickets. He displayed exemplary technique and seemed to enjoy himself on the bigger stage, which was uncharacteristic of someone who was barely finding his feet in international cricket. With consistent performances in ODIs, he finally earned his Test call-up in an away series to India in 2004. “Clarkey” couldn’t have asked for a tougher litmus test with Australia in a spot of bother at 4-149, with a vociferous crowd egging India on to go for the kill. But he relished the opportunity, combining with Gilchrist to put on a brilliant 151. His innings gave Australia a massive 1-0 lead in the four-match series, which they went on to win ending a drought of 30 long years. His dream start continued as he slammed another hundred against New Zealand and was touted as Australia’s future batting superstar.

An excellent fielder and a useful left-arm spinner, Clarke’s meteoric rise continued as he was part of Australia’s WC 2007 winning team and also featured in the Ashes that year. Following that, he led Australia in a T20 tie against New Zealand. Unfortunately, Australia’s dream of a fourth successive WC win was shattered by India in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, which then resulted in Ricky Ponting’s retirement from captaincy. Just a few days after the team’s exit, Clarke was named Australia’s full-time captain in ODIs and Tests. His first outing as the skipper proved to be a successful one, as the Kangaroos beat the Bangladeshis 3-0 in a 3-match ODI series.

Fast Facts
  • Michael Clarke was awarded the ‘'Allan Border Medal'’ in 2005 and 2009.
  • He became the first Australian batsman in history to score a century on both home and away debuts.
  • Clarke was the Man of the Series in the 2009 Ashes.
  • He was ICC’s ‘'Test Player of the Year'’ in 2009.
  • Clarkey was also named amongst the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2010.
Career
Test:     2004-2011
ODI:    2003-2011
T20:     2005-2010

Test
Debut:                Australia Vs India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore - Karnataka - Oct 06, 2004
Last played:       Australia Vs New Zealand at Bellerive Oval, Hobart - Dec 09, 2011

ODI
Debut:                Australia Vs England at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide - South Australia - Jan 19, 2003
Last played:       Australia Vs South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban - Oct 28, 2011

T20
Debut:               Australia Vs New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland - Feb 17, 2005
Last played:      Australia Vs Sri Lanka at W.A.C.A. Ground, Perth - Western Australia - Oct 31, 2010

Click Here : Australia Cricket Team List

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