Following Michael Clarke’s appointment as captain of Australia, Sport.co.uk takes a look at the man in charge of rebuilding a dynasty…
In July 2005, during an Ashes tour match in Leicester, bags belonging to Michael Clarke and Michael Kasprowicz were stolen from the team’s dressing room. While the pair lost some cricket gear, some personal items were also taken. What was interesting was the contrast between the two sets of stolen possessions; Kasprowicz reported a few flannel shirts, a cassette player and a couple of AC/DC tapes, while Michael Clarke’s list included hair dye, wax, gel, Calvin Klein aftershave, lip-balm, facial scrub, personal mirror, three diesel shirts and a hair dryer. Such disparity shows the presence of two distinctly different camps within the Australia setup; the ‘Julios’ and the ‘Nerds’.
Named after Latin singer Julio Iglesias, ‘Julios’ are slaves to fashion, spending a disproportionate amount of time grooming themselves in front of a mirror. The ‘Nerds’, well, they are as you’d imagine; to tell you that Glenn McGrath is honorary President of the ‘Nerds’ paints exactly the right picture. Players tend to warm up in their respective groups, taking pride in their Julio/Nerd status, often lending itself to some intense rivalry (as displayed here). But what started off as a bit of humorous type-casting has led many cynics to speculate that Australia’s recent failings have been down to a team unbalance, weighted specifically towards the ‘Julios’.
“I’m not going to reinvent the wheel”
Michael Clarke, Australia’s new Test and one day captain, is as ‘Julio’ as they come (not to mention his second in command Shane Watson – see here for proof. Clarke’s stint as Ponting’s vice-captain should be regarded as more of an apprenticeship, but you have to wonder if he has garnered more from Ponting’s mistakes as captain, rather than his successes. Clarke has been an ever-present in the Australian team since his debut in October 2004, and played his part in both a great side, and a transitional one.
“I’m not going to reinvent the wheel,” he said, speaking to Cricket Australia TV. “We have a lot of talent in the group but we have a lot of inexperience too, so I think it’s a great start to improve and go back to the basics of batting, bowling and fielding.” As unsettling as it is to hear the captain of such a proud, domineering nation resort to cliché, it’s understandable. It’s necessary. The 2010/11 Ashes series highlighted major problems in the Australian infrastructure. There is a new era on the horizon – is Michael Clarke the right man to lead Australia into it? Surely such meticulous rebuilding requires the thoroughness of ‘Nerd?’
‘Celebrity is a mask that eats into the face’ – John Updike
Clarke’s stock with the Australian public has seen better days; he has come a long way since he first endeared himself to the nation, with his boyish good looks and his undeniable talent. Hailing from working-class surroundings in Sydney, he went on to become one of the most marketable faces down-under, with endless endorsements and an engagement to Aussie super-model Lara Bingle in 2009. Many felt that Clarke was starting to spend more time working towards success off the pitch, rather than on it, as blue-eyed optimism and whole-heartedness gave way to miscellaneous tattoos and diamond studs. He was more than a cricketer now; he was a celebrity, filling as many inches in the sports pages as he was in the glamour mags. Soon it was too much in the latter.
In March 2010, fiancé Bingle filed a lawsuit against former boyfriend, Brendan Fevola, after nude photos of her were leaked into the media. Distracted, Clarke decided to return home from a tour of New Zealand to be with Lara. The move polarised opinion, both in the public and Cricket Australia; “Not the behavior of a future captain”, tutted some.
Unfortunately for Clarke it wasn’t the first time that his relationship with Bingle had affected his cricket. In 2009, after the sides’ 103-run win over South Africa in Sydney, he was involved in an altercation with Simon Katich over the singing of the team’s victory song, Under the Southern Cross I Stand. No player is allowed to leave the dressing room until the song is instigated by the official custodian (currently Michael Hussey), however it had been sung early on a previous tour to allow Ricky Ponting to get away early for an engagement. Unfortunately for Clarke - who was desperate to get away to attend a gathering with Lara and other friends - he was not afforded the same luxury.
At around 11pm, having come off the field at 6pm, Clarke remonstrated with the rest of the dressing room, with Katich taking exception and grabbing him by the throat. The pair were eventually separated by the other players, and the song got underway at close to midnight. Cricket Australia took no action, declaring the matter settled between the two, but Clarke’s standing in the team, and the public eye, was damaged, something which he alluded to in his CATV interview; “For me, it’s about conducting myself the right way both on and off the field, and earning the respect of the Australian public.”
For many the feud underlined where Clarke’s priorities lie, while also portraying a degree of animosity between the two camps in the dressing room; Simon Katich was appointed captain of the ‘Nerds’ last year. It is also important to note that, aside from Shane Watson, the challengers for the captaincy - Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin and Katich - are all ‘Nerds’. Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting; Australia’s best loved, and most successful captains - ‘Nerds’.
Ponting has been quick to lend his support to Clarke but, away from the diplomacy, it will be interesting to see what the new skipper will make of ‘Punters’ presence in the side. After spending the last three years as Ponting’s right-hand man, Clarke will be more in-tuned with the thoughts of the hard-nosed Tasmanian than anyone else in that dressing room.
Ricky will be the first captain since Kim Hughes to continue playing after relinquishing the captaincy; given the personalities of those who have stepped down as skipper in the period between Hughes and Ponting, such a move was taken for benefit of those taking over. It made imposing their values easier, without the former captain witnessing the deconstruction of what he had previously implemented. Clarke will have some deconstructing to do, and he will have to do it all in front of Ponting. In a side lacking in world class players, Ponting is indispensible. Clarke will need him in the middle, but he could probably do without him in the dressing room.
“I really hope I can change their minds.”
The appointment of Michael Clarke comes with a realization that things need to change, from the top down. Clarke’s sole aim will be taking Australia back to the top of world cricket; there is something unsettling about seeing them 5th in the ICC Test rankings -it must make their stomach turn every time they look at them. It is a huge prospect for the team, let alone Clarke as an individual, and the next year will give us an indication as to whether Australia rise to the same heights again.
“For the people that aren’t sure whether I can lead the Australia team in the right way, I really hope I can change their minds.”
It’s hardly a call to arms, but it is a statement of awareness, with respect to himself and the matter at hand. He must rebuild the fallen empire. Rome certainly wasn’t built in a day, but goodness knows how long it would have taken to renovate it. Over to you, Pup…
To read more from Vithushan Ehantharajah, who contributes regularly to FourFourTwo Magazine and Wisden Cricket Magazine follow him on Twitter @Vitu_e