NOW Michael Clarke is Australian captain in his own right, the first thing he should understand is all the Ws and Ls now go against his name.
Once a captain fully grasps that concept he’s on his way to being a good skipper. Understanding that principle means a captain is more likely to run the show his way; not as a dictator but as someone who evaluates all the information and then makes his own decisions.
By leading that way and not captaining by committee, a skipper usually makes his decisions for the right reason – because he believes it’s the best way to win the match. It may not work out exactly as he hopes but a captain who makes his own decisions will at least have no regrets when he’s regaling his grandkids with tales of the past.
It won’t hurt if Clarke also realises it’s not rare for Australian captains to be appointed in unusual circumstances.
Clarke may feel uncomfortable taking over following Ricky Ponting’s sudden resignation, but Richie Benaud was a complete outsider to gain the captaincy, Allan Border took over from a weeping Kim Hughes and I was entrusted with the job when Bill Lawry was summarily dismissed during an Ashes series.
In those circumstances my first thought was: “Crikey, I’ve been handed an impossible task.”
However, I soon came to the conclusion it was a no-lose situation. The team hadn’t been winning under Lawry, so if we suddenly won a few games the public might be fooled into thinking I was a genius.
From that moment the fog lifted and I was able to focus on the only thing that matters as a captain – winning cricket matches.
To show his team who is in charge, Clarke should abandon any thoughts of the summit meeting he’s proposed, to decide where Ponting should bat in the Test side. Ponting is a born number three and moving him down the order will not relieve the pressure; it’s more likely to add to it.
Coming in with few runs on the board and more wickets down doesn’t make batting easier.
Ponting relishes the challenge of rectifying a poor start. It’s one of the reasons he’s been such a successful number three.
Take away that responsibility, especially when he’s already lost the huge incentive of being captain, and Ponting might have trouble raising his mental state to the level required.
The selectors choose the team, the captain places the batting order.
It would be prudent for Clarke to tell Ponting his reasons for batting him at three, but Clarke should make the decision. Clarke is a positive person and he’s already displayed an aptitude for on-field captaincy.
How he copes with the off-field part will decide whether he becomes a really good captain or just a run-of-the-mill.
Clarke has two other good qualities; he keeps his cricketing advice simple and he has said: “I can’t change the public’s opinion.”
He should be his own man and take charge of the team. That is his best chance of being a winning captain and changing public opinion.
(Sunday Herald Sun)