MICHAEL Clarke is adamant he had no knowledge that a dossier outlining precisely how Australia will attack South Africa over the next month would be leaked to the media on the eve of the first Test. Several newspapers carried the story that said Australia would look to use short-pitched bowling and verbal aggression to get into the heads of the Proteas, the number one-ranked Test nation.
Dubbed the ‘Protea files’, the dossier dissects the strengths and weaknesses of the South African XI and the methods intended to unsettle them.
Asked if he knew if the file was deliberately leaked to newspapers as part of a mental game with the South Africans, Clarke told reporters: “I can only talk from my behalf – no, not that I know of.”
He added: “Good read, wasn’t it? There’s certainly information in there that’s common knowledge. We as a team don’t have an official dossier, as such. We look at footage, we talk about opposition players; we study opposition strengths and weaknesses as a bowling group and a batting group.
“There was some other stuff in there that was quite an interesting read … (that) we certainly haven’t spoken about. At the end of the day we have plans for every opposition we play against and it’s no different against South Africa.” (PA Sport)