Final to be Clarke’s ODI swansong

Rohit Mahajan

Melbourne, March 28

Ten minutes before he came to address the media, Michael Clarke had told his team that tomorrow would see him play for Australia the final time in a One-day match. His eyes were sparkling in the glare of the spotlight trained at him — but they seemed moist as well. He said he was all right, that nothing was wrong, but he did seem affected by strong emotion.

Clarke’s announcement added another twist to the intense match expected tomorrow; he said he’d not be affected by his decision. He’d do the same things, play the same way, but it’s surely impossible that things would remain the same.

Clarke is 33, like MS Dhoni, and he’s made the decision to retire from ODIs in order to concentrate on Test cricket; Dhoni, of course, retired from Test cricket, preferring to play on in ODI cricket. This contrast emphasises the difference in approach to the sport in the two nations.

Clarke’s decision also makes it easier for the selectors — they don’t have to drop him from the team now. Experts, including the likes of Ricky Ponting, have said that the return of Clarke to the team after an injury — due to which he missed the Tri-series and the early part of the World Cup — has upset the balance of the team. Clarke also seems out of place in the current ODI milieu — he’s not a blaster of the ball, and blasters are ruling the world right now.

Clarke, thus, makes way for the next Australian ODI captain, probably Steven Smith, to prepare the team for the next World Cup.

He will play his 245th ODI tomorrow; he’s got 7907 runs until now, at an average of 44.42. He’s captained Australia in 73 matches, and Australia won 49 of them. He’s going for his first World Cup as captain.

“I think it is the right time for me and the Australian team. I was very fortunate four years ago to get the opportunity to captain this One-day team,” Clarke said at the start of the press conference. “That was really good preparation for me leading up to this World Cup, I think the next Australian captain deserves the same opportunity. I don’t think it is realistic that I’ll be fit and healthy and available to play the next World Cup so I believe it is the right time.”

“I think I’ll leave the One-day game for the Australian team in a better place than when I took over the captaincy. Last World Cup we were knocked out in the quarterfinal, this World Cup we have been able to make the final and hopefully tomorrow we can go on and have success in that final,” he said. “So two finals and one quarterfinal for my time in World Cups. I’m hopeful it will prolong my Test career as well. That’s obviously a priority for me, to continue to be successful in the Test format. I think by walking away from One-day cricket it probably gives me my best opportunity.”

Clarke said that he won’t speak about who the next captain might be, but spoke some generous words about Smith: “Smithy’s certainly matured as a player and a person, there’s no doubt about it. His form is because of his hard work, I’m not surprised that he’s scoring as many runs as he is because he’s training extremely hard.”