Michael Clarke has been one of international cricket's premier batsmen over the last two years. Now he has shown that he is also the best leader in the cricket world.
Clarke's action in suspending 4 of his key players for one Test Match has caused a huge uproar. It has polarized opinions both for and against his decision. The general argument against his decision is that it is too harsh, and will not help matters as far as the morale of the team is concerned. I agree with both of these arguments, and that is the reason I think Clarke is a phenomenal leader.
Clarke has made a decision that will invite a lot of criticism, and perhaps hurt his side in the short term. However he has made it crystal clear that interests of the team come first. The rules apply equally to every member of the team, and the bottom line is to help the team win. Michael Clarke could have chosen the easy way out and let things slide. He didn't.
For me the point is not whether Clarke's decision is correct or not. The point is that he made a very tough decision at a very tough time for the team, and he made it for the right reasons. Opinions about the decision may vary, but Clarke is in charge, and he carries responsibility for results - short and long term. And he chose to act in the interest of the team at great personal risk. I wish we had candor like this in Indian cricket.
Bravo Michael Clarke!
2 comments:
Already there are signs that Michael Clarke's strong action against 4 of his teammates (including the vice captain) is going to be beneficial for the team in the long run. Here's what John Pattinson had to say.
"We had a training session yesterday and we apologised to the team about it," Pattinson said on Tuesday. "It does hurt, missing a Test match. It's not only that, you let your team down as well. At the time I was told I was quite upset. At the start I didn't take it as well as I probably could have. The easy thing for me was to make excuses and say it's a harsh punishment.
"But the reality is it's not - it's part of playing cricket for Australia. You've got to do everything right. It wasn't hard for the other 12 blokes to get it in on time and they took the time out to really reflect and do what's best for the team whereas we four didn't. Right now I'm still hurting about it but in the long run I think it's going to make us a better team."
Hi Nitin, Interesting post as usual. First of all I am loving all this Aussie disintegration both on and off the field with two back to back Ashes series to follow. Saying that I don't want to laugh too much as an Oz cricketer plays his best cricket when seemingly down and out ! I agree with a lot of what your Australian friend has mentioned. Clarke's hand to a great extent has been forced by management. Australia have come up with weird selections recently. Why doesn't Katich play ? Surely there is a call for them to select Dougie Bollinger and possibly Dirk Nannes in the side. Where is Ryan Harris ? How could they drop Nathan Lyon after the first test and play two Sunday league standard spinners in the next one?! Being a Brit it doesn't bother me too much what the Aussies do with their side, but surely they have left some of their best cricketers out of their touring team. How much of a say did Clarke have in the selection of cricketers who don't appear to be upto the mark ? I'd hold back for the moment in judging Clarke as a great and courageous Captain. As always time will tell.
Post a Comment