Is this Ashes series the last chance for Michael Clarke to prove he's not a passenger in the team?

Time’s running out buddy! 

July 22, 2005. Lord’s, London.

A young, blonde Australian swipes a delivery to cover. The delivery is okay. The swipe? Not so much. Poor, some might say. Shocking, others might say. One thing is clear, though. It was careless. Arrogant. Haughty. Cocksure. On an ordinary day, it would have been gratefully pouched by the fielder.

But not today. The fielder is Kevin Pietersen. The batsman is Michael Clarke. Clarke flicks, Pietersen drops. ‘Pup’ heaves a sigh of relief. He has been let off. He needed it.

The reprieve proves costly. Clarke top scores with 91, and Australia win the Test match, going 1-0 up in The Ashes. He can consider himself extremely fortunate. “Never again”, his countenance appears to betray.

This is the Michael Clarke of yore. Impulsive. Daredevil. His flowing locks almost as extravagant as his willow-wielding. But he has matured a lot in the intervening years. He is now the captain of Australia. He has also led them to the World Cup. But he has largely struggled over the past 24 months. He’s not been his old self. Australia are doing well, but is this the last chance saloon for their skipper?

Last Chance?

Cricket Australia has an important role in answering this part of the conundrum. In an environment where important, senior cricketers, least of all the captains, are not simply binned unceremoniously like yesterday’s soup, such a major decision is unlikely to be made quite so suddenly.

Ricky Ponting’s case is a healthy precedent. Having lost 3-1 to England at home in the 2010-11 Ashes (the first time in 24 years), Ponting went on a self destructive downward spiral that saw his own batting reach previously unexplored lows. He could very easily have been shafted, and with good reason.

The board, however, stuck by their choice and Ponting, under unimaginable pressure, responded with an absolutely critical 62 against South Africa at Johannesburg in 2011 which helped Australia win the Test match. He had not made a half-century in the previous thirteen innings. In the next six Test matches, he scored four half-centuries, a century and a double hundred.

He was a great batsman and they knew it. He just needed to realise it himself once again.

Applying the same logic, there would certainly be plenty of support for Clarke in this rough patch, especially given Australia have a good chance of retaining The Ashes.

The present setup also has an able and determined Steve Smith ready to take the reins when given the green light, so one would suspect Australia would accord such an important player the respect of making the decision himself, rather than sacking him from the team in an act of desperation.

It has been a poor eight months or so, granted, but the comparisons with the Michael Clarke of 2012 must end. That was a purple patch of Herculean proportions, and to expect him to replicate that form is unrealistic – especially given that he is adapting to wear and tear (he celebrated his 34th birthday in April) to reinvent his game.

Also, in this ‘dry spell’, he has mostly played Test cricket away from home and in rapidly changing conditions. The one series that Australia did play at home in this time (against India) was one where he was unable to play in more than one Test – even then he scored 128.

An extended series at home would help better understand if this is just a bad run or something more terminal.

Furthermore, if he is shelved now, Australia may come to regret it – seeing as Christopher Rogers is set to retire soon and Brad Haddin’s place in the side suddenly looking extremely shaky. An old head in times of crisis may be exactly what they need to steady the ship, and, well, Mitchell Johnson does not appear a particularly suitable candidate for such a role.

Unless Clarke’s form takes a nosedive, and Australia implode completely to lose the series by a huge margin, he will not be shelved in a hurry. Expect to hear Michael Clarke’s name being called when the two captains step up for the post-series interview.

A Liability?

There was a daunting trip to England in the summer of 2013 to try and win back The Ashes and in retrospect, this is where Clarke was brought back from the realm of Bradman and Hammond onto the plane of mortals. He actually boasts an average of 47.625, 381 runs and good strike rates for most of his innings in that English summer (partly steroided by two not outs; without them, it reads 38.1) and an immense 187 in Manchester to boot. A pretty good summer, but cracks are appearing. Small ones, at first.

Then comes the Australian summer – 2013/14 and The Ashes once again. He starts off very well – two hundreds in two Tests (113 in Brisbane and 148 in Adelaide) – but then the brakes come on so hard and so suddenly, he is not only thrown off his bike, he somersaults twice and lands with a crash in a duck pond.

Much is lost under a cloud of emotion and sensational headlines as Australia register a 5-0 series whitewash but the truth cannot be hidden. The cracks widen.

Off go the Aussies to South Africa in early 2014, and once again, Clarke goes missing in the first two Tests. It doesn’t matter, as Clarke conveniently scores another hundred in the third Test to help Australia post a huge first innings total and then batter the Saffers into submission. The Aussies claim the series 2-1.

He then dons the Baggy Green only in October the same year, against Pakistan. From that point until now, mid-2015, Clarke’s form has deteriorated significantly. He has played 7 Test matches in this period (up until the second Test at Lord’s), and batted in 13 innings. In these, he has scored 352 runs at an average of exactly 32.

Contrast this with four months since his two double hundreds against South Africa in November 2012. This was also a 7 match period (albeit with 14 innings instead of 13). In early 2013 - at home against Sri Lanka and a trip to India - Clarke managed 4 half-centuries and two hundreds in this time. Quite impressive.

This is, admittedly, a noticeable deterioration in general form, although a closer look at the time frames suggest Clarke can still perform well enough at home, but has had a tougher time of it away from Australia.

The key problem is that although Clarke has conveniently popped up with hundreds when required, it is his other scores that have let him down badly. While batting, Clarke often got on his feet with 20s and 30s, but has been unable to convert these scores into any innings of substance.

Can this be put down to a lack of incentive? Perhaps, because Clarke hasn’t had to play the hero in a long time.

His deputy, Steve Smith, has been on an unbelievable run of form himself, recording his first double hundred at Lord’s, while Christopher Rogers and David Warner have taken turns in holding things firm at the top, which ensures Clarke does not have to walk in a crisis situation too often.

While this may be good for the team, one suspects that a lack of onus on him for helping his side to a good total may at least be partly to blame for Clarke’s lackadaisical form over the past 20 odd months. The pressure to perform isn’t there, or isn’t nearly enough, which might explain why some of his dismissals have been so frustratingly casual.

Call it teething problems – adapting to a new role of embellishment instead of centrepiece – call it whatever, but the likelihood is that all it would take is a slight tweak of circumstances, for instance, Australia tottering at 8/2, for Clarke to show us his best form once again.

It is also evident that the only hurdle stopping Clarke from posting meaningful scores once again is application. Too many times, we have seen an uncharacteristic carelessness, unsuited to the leader of one of cricket’s finest teams.

Much has been made of his back problems and issues against pace, but really, a bit more patience while batting will almost certainly see Clarke reap the rewards his talent deserves.

So Michael Clarke has had a poor spell. But even in the midst of struggle, he has produced the goods – the hundred against South Africa in Cape Town is an ideal example – and he has shown us that he can still operate at this level.

He will be given a fairly long rope – that is certain – and you can bet your house on the fact that one of the titans of the modern game will not bow down meekly.

Clarke has never won a series in England. This opportunity might be the impetus he needs to recover his own form and get that monkey off his back.