An open letter to 'Pup' the Australian captain
Michael Clarke
At 32, you are now into the phase of captaincy where you have no way to escape the hostile behavior of the supporters if you end on the losing side of the return Ashes this year.
You have to prevent England from snatching the candy on your home turf. Coming from the back of a torrid time in England last summer,you need to take some pro active steps to clinch the Ashes.
The performance Australia gave in the tour to India has numerous positives to take. The glimpses of breathtaking performances that players like Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson, James Faulkner, George Bailey showcased is an indication of what the upcoming Australian team could do if they really try to be what Australians are.
There are a few points to take into account as a Captain who is looking for vengeance.
Winning the battle against Alastair Cook: The experts have already raised cue-points to distinguish the success of England contrary to Australia. Although you are always pro-active and dynamic on the field you need to take a leaf out of M S Dhoni’s or Alastair Cook’s book on how to push the players to perform better than their caliber. Cook leads from the front by performing with the bat. You need to do something you haven’t done till now so that you can achieve what is yet to be. Cook goes to his bowlers more often than you do although he is laid-back and waits for things to happen. You on the other hand are quite subtle and far more innovative with the changes and tend to over do things sometimes which somehow has not worked for you.
Batting Order: I don’t see any major change in the batting line-up for Australia. David Warner along with Chris Rodgers should be the opening pair. At no.3 no one other than Shane Watson could be sculptured. There’s no one better than you at 4 to maneuver a Captain’s innings. Steven Smith at no.5 and the debutante George Bailey at no.6. Inconsistent Brad Haddin will take the 7th spot with James Faulkner, Mitchell Jhonson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle to follow.
Bowling Attack: Peter Siddle will lead the attack with Mitchell Johnson. Ryan Harris if fit could share the red cherry with the other two pacers. James Faulkner could well prove to be an asset if he remains consistent for a spell or two. Steven Smith should chip in with the odd spin if required. James Faulkner and Steven Smith would offer immense help to you if they can bowl well in tandem.
Plus Points at your disposal:
a). Darren Lehmann is the new coach after the sacking of Mickey Arthur. Darren Lehmann has been in the stride for sufficient amount of time to create a strategy to cripple the English.
b). Home Crowd: Australian Fans are few of those who can push the players and stimulate home Captain to victory. They have the power to disguise the opposition and manipulate their performance. They have their impact on the impulsive young players like they had on Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma in the tour down-under. Fans could easily instigate the body language of English players like Joe Root, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes.
c). A Predicted Line-up: Team Line-up is what you could use for making the strategies and game plans along with Darren Lehmann to intrigue the English players to play in attrition. Having a tentative idea about the opposition regarding who is going to do what on the field could prove to be handy at the end of the day.
I understand that your team will go into the Ashes as an underdog but the world now expects an Australian resurgence in the world of Cricket. Its not like we expect the same old Australian team which once was during the times of Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Glenn Mcgrath, Shane Warne, etc. Sheer dominance is not at all what the loyal supporters of Australian Cricket are seeking. But we are looking forward to a glittering Ashes at the back of the home crowd.
It will be an icing on the cake if we can witness a few centuries or blistering knocks during the tour. The form and class which you displayed in the series against India in 2012 is long awaited.