IF there was ever any doubt that Michael Clarke would be Australia’s next captain, he dispelled it with the most cool and calculating Test innings of his life at the MCG.
Clarke has expensive tastes – buying fiancee Lara Bingle a $300,000 Aston Martin for Christmas – but he also has common sense in spades.
His rise from Pup to Top Dog is assured after he provided the batting glue (88 off 208 balls) that stuck Australia’s wonky top order together in the most important Test match of the year.
Clarke copped some flak on Boxing Day when he had compiled a painstaking 36 off 157 balls which had some MCG fans nodding off in their seats.
His cautious day-one knock included an incredible 132 dot balls, making sure he didn’t fall for South Africa’s bait of bowling wide of the wicket to induce rash shots.
With every run likely to be gold on a difficult MCG pitch and a slow outfield, Clarke made certain he was there at stumps, which is more than could be said for Michael Hussey and Andrew Symonds.
After a well-earned sleep, Clarke returned to the MCG a different man and smashed anything wide or full to the boundary with the full force of his flashing blade and scorched 52 off 51 balls Saturday morning.
Reversing his plans of the first day, Clarke decided attack was the best form of defence and quickly showed his intent by hoisting a short ball from Makhaya Ntini over the fine leg fence.
“It’s a very good example of just hanging in there,” former Test captain Mark Taylor said in television commentary.
“Yesterday (Friday) he couldn’t hit them off the square.
“It turns around as a batsman and Michael Clarke has given a great example of that in this innings.”
Clarke had gone from gritty to swashbuckling and it was only his disappearing batting partners at the other end that prevented him from scoring his first Boxing Day Test century.
Nevertheless, it was still his highest score at the MCG and an innings that could be invaluable in the context of the series.
The flashy 27-year-old was being hailed as Australia’s next Test captain before he had earned the tag – in fact, before he had even played a Test.
Now he has earned it with his toughness both on and off the field.
He has now played Test cricket under Ricky Ponting for more than four years and has all the tools of the trade to become Australia’s 43rd Test captain.
