Full Name : Michael John Clarke
Date of Birth : 2nd April 1981
Place of Birth : Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
Nick Name : Pup, Clarkey, Top Dog, Nemo, Eminem
Height : 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Batting Style : Right-Hand
Bowling Style : Slow Left-Arm Orthodox
Role : Batsman, Australian Captain
Test Debut (cap 389): 6th October 2004 v India
ODI Debut (cap 149) : 19th January 2003 v England
Michael John Clarke is a professional Australian cricketer and captain of the Australian cricket team for both test and ODI cricket. Nicknamed 'Pup', he is a right-handed middle-order batsman, and an occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler. Michael Clarke represents New South Wales at a domestic level.
In January 2011, Clarke stood down as captain of the Australian Twenty20 cricket team to concentrate on his test and ODI performance. Michael Clarke was succeeded by Cameron White.
Career
Michael Clarkemade his debut for New South Wales as an eighteen-year-old in the 1999–2000 Australian domestic season. Clarke made his One Day International debut in January 2003 against England at Adelaide. Michael Clarke was an AIS Australian Cricket Academy scholarship holder in 1999-2000.
Australian Career
Clarke was chosen to make his Test debut against India at Bangalore, October 2004, despite having a first-class average below 40. Michael Clarke succeeded on debut, scoring 151 and consequently helping Australia to victory, invoking comparisons to past Australian batsmen such as Doug Walters and Mark Waugh. The innings, felt Peter Roebuck, was especially notable for its aggression and freedom. "Not that the assault was reckless," he added. "Indeed the control was impressive. Clarke calculated the risks and took his brains with him down the track. Of course he need [sic] a bit of luck, was plumb in front in the nineties, but few begrudged him his hundred. And everyone except his weary foes celebrated with him and his tearful family when he reached three figures. After all, he had advanced both the match and the game."
Clarke went on to play a major part in Australia's 2–1 series victory, their first in India in over thirty years, contributing figures of 6 for 9 off 6.2 overs in the Fourth Test, which Australia lost.
On his return to Australia he made another debut century, his first home Test in Brisbane against New Zealand, becoming one of the few Test cricketers to have achieved the feat of Test centuries on both their home and away debuts.
In recognition of his performance in the 2004 calendar year, he was awarded the Allan Border Medal in 2005.
Clarke's poor form during the 2005 Ashes series and his failure to score a test century for over a year saw him dropped from the Test team in late 2005. Clarke had previously remarked that one of his career aims was to never be dropped from the Test team. In early 2006, after making his first first-class double century and scoring heavily in ODIs, Clarke was recalled for the tour of South Africa. Michael Clarke was then picked over Andrew Symonds for the April 2006 Tests against Bangladesh. Two consecutive centuries in the second and third Ashes Tests while Shane Watson was injured helped Australia to regain the Ashes and cemented Clarke's position in the Test team.
Clarke then helped Australia retain the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies where they did not lose a game. After Damien Martyn's retirement he was elevated to number 5 in the batting line up. Michael Clarke had a superb tournament making 4 fifties including a 92 and a 93* against the Netherlands and South Africa. Michael Clarke also made an unbeaten 60 against South Africa in the semi final to guide Australia into the final at Barbados, against Sri Lanka.
Clarke faced only 4 balls for 3 runs in the ICC World Twenty20, when Australia were knocked out by India in the semi final. Two weeks later he made 130 against India in the first of a 7 match ODI series. Michael Clarke did not maintain that form in the remaining 6 matches mustering up just one fifty. Michael Clarke opened the batting in the final 2 games after a hip injury ruled out Matthew Hayden and he made two golden ducks. In the tour-ending Twenty20 match Clarke dropped back down the order with the return of Hayden, and scored 25 not out in a heavy defeat to the current Twenty20 world champions.On 9 November 2007, Clarke notched up his fifth Test century against Sri Lanka in a two Test series. Clarke shared a 245 run partnership with Mike Hussey at the Gabba in Brisbane, Hussey departed on 133 but Clarke went on and had a partnership with Symonds who made 53*, the pair were unbeaten when Ricky Ponting declared the innings, Clarke top scoring with 145 not out.
On 5 December 2007, Cricket Australia named Clarke as captain of Australia for their one-off Twenty20 game against New Zealand in Perth, after deciding to rest Ponting and Hayden.
Michael Clarke on his way to 99* against England at the Oval in 2010On 6 January 2008, Clarke dismissed Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh and Ishant Sharma in the second last over of the day, with just 8 minutes remaining, to claim the final three wickets and win the test match for Australia (at one stage he was on a hat trick, dismissing Harbhajan Singh and RP Singh on consecutive deliveries). Michael Clarke innings figures were 3 for 5 in 1.5 overs. Australian captain Ricky Ponting had declared that morning, setting India a total of 333 to chase and allowing Australia arguably too little time to bowl out the visitors. Clarke's wickets ensured that Australia retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2008 and kept their world record equalling 16 match win streak alive.
After the retirement of Adam Gilchrist, in April 2008 Clarke was named vice-captain of the Australian side. Clarke missed the start of Australia's 2008 tour of the West Indies following the death of Bingle's father, meaning Hussey took over as vice-captain for the start of the tour. Soon after Clarke joined up with the squad, he scored a century in the second Test in Antigua, going on to captain the side in the final two One Day Internationals, both of which were won, in the absence through injury of Ponting.
Michael Clarkewas named man of the series in the recent two-Test series against New Zealand in Australia with scores of 110, 98 and 10, as well as being the top run-scorer in the three-Test series against South Africa in Australia.
Clarke won the 2009 Allan Border Medal in a tie with Ricky Ponting both scoring 41 points, and was named Test Cricketer of the Year.
In October 2009, Clarke was named as captain of Australia's Twenty20 side, taking over from the retired Ricky Ponting.
Clarke celebrating his century at the SCG in 2012, on the way to scoring a ground record 329* against India.
Captaincy of AustraliaIn January 2011
Clarke was named as stand-in captain for the fifth Test of the 2010-11 Ashes Series at the SCG, replacing the injured Ricky Ponting. Michael Clarke announced his retirement from Twenty20 International cricket on 7 January 2011, to concentrate on the longer forms of the game. When Ponting stood down from the captaincy of the Australian Test and ODI sides after the 2011 World Cup, Clarke was appointed as his permanent replacement in both roles.
In January 2012, in the second Test of Australia's home series against India and after a string of Test centuries since becoming captain, Clarke became the first Australian batsman since Matthew Hayden in 2003 to score a triple hundred. Michael Clarke joined with Ricky Ponting (134) in a partnership of 288, then added 334 with Michael Hussey (150*) before declaring on 329*. This match against India was the 100th test to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and Clarke's score was both the highest ever made in an Australia-India test (surpassing V. V. S. Laxman's 281 from the 2000/01 season) and the highest ever achieved at the ground. The ground high score record had been held for more than a century by Englishman Reg "Tip" Foster's 287 scored in the 1903/04 season.Clarke led Australia to a 4–0 win and was named the player of the series, having scored 626 runs at an average of 125.20. Michael Clarke joined his triple century in Sydney with a double-century (210) in the first innings of the fourth Test in Adelaide. Michael Clarke 386-run partnership with Ponting (who scored 221) was the fourth-highest in Australian Test history.
Personal Life
Clarke is currently dating model and presenter Kyly Boldy. Michael Clarke was formerly engaged to model Lara Bingle. During the Australian Cricket tour of New Zealand in March 2010, Clarke left the tour to return to Sydney for "personal reasons" after Bingle decided to sue her former lover Brendan Fevola for disseminating naked pictures of her, which ended up in a women's magazine. A couple of days later, it was reported that Clarke had ended his relationship and cancelled his wedding to Lara Bingle. Clarke's management confirmed the couple had decided to terminate their engagement in a late night press conference on 12 March 2010.Speaking to GQ Australia in November 2010, Clarke said of his decision to leave the tour of New Zealand, "My decision that I made there, was what I thought was right. I respect playing for my country that much that I thought, if I’m going to let anybody down, I shouldn’t be here — there’s somebody else who could be doing a better job than me. Going home was the right decision at the time for me. I don’t regret that decision."
Career Highlights
Tests, Clarke's previous highest Test batting score of 151 was made against India on his Test debut in Bangalore, 2004–05. Michael Clarke then made 141 against New Zealand in November 2004 on his debut on home-soil at the Gabba (Brisbane, Australia). Michael Clarke became the only Australian to ever score a century on both home and away debuts.
Clarke's highest test score was previously 168 against New Zealand 2009–10 in Wellington; it was succeeded against India in 2012 where he made 329* in Australia's first innings of the second test at the SCG on 5 January, claiming the record of the highest test match score at the SCG.
Michael Clarke best Test bowling figures of 6 for 9 (6.2) came against India, Mumbai, 2004–05.
Michael Clarke first Ashes century came in December 2006, when he hit 124 at the Adelaide Oval to help Australia to victory.
Dismissed India's last three batsman out in five balls on the fifth day of the 2nd Test against India 6 /1/2008.
Michael Clarkewon Australian Man of the Series in the 2009 Ashes Series. Michael Clarke was nominated by England team director Andy Flower for his "excellent batting".
Michael Clarkewas named full-time one-day and test captain of Australia on 29 March 2011.
Clarke's highest Test batting score of 329* was made on 5 January 2012 against India. Michael Clarke holds the highest test match batting score at the Sydney Cricket Ground,and has the 4th best Test match batting score of all time by an Australian.
Clarke followed up his 329* in Sydney with 210 in Adelaide, thereby joining Don Bradman and Wally Hammond as the only players to have made a triple century and a double century in the same series.
An innings-by-innings breakdown of Clarke's Test match batting career as at 5 January 2012, showing runs scored (bars - not out innings in orange, others in blue) and the career to-date batting average (red line). An alternative image showing a 10 innings moving average is also available.
Test Centuries Key
* denotes that he remained not out.
? denotes that he was the captain of the Australian team in that match.
Test Match Centuries of Michael Clarke
# Runs Match Against City/Country Venue Year
1 151 1 India Bangalore, India M. Chinnaswamy Stadium 2004
2 141 5 New Zealand Brisbane, Australia Brisbane Cricket Ground 2004
3 124 24 England Adelaide, Australia Adelaide Oval 2006
4 135* 25 England Perth, Australia WACA 2006
5 145* 28 Sri Lanka Brisbane, Australia Brisbane Cricket Ground 2007
6 118 33 India Adelaide, Australia Adelaide Oval 2008
7 110 34 West Indies North Sound, Antigua Sir Vivian Richards Stadium 2008
8 112 38 India Delhi, India Feroz Shah Kotla 2008
9 110 41 New Zealand Adelaide, Australia Adelaide Oval 2008
10 138 44 South Africa Sydney, Australia Sydney Cricket Ground 2009
11 136 49 England London, England Lord's 2009
12 103* 50 England Birmingham, England Edgbaston 2009
13 166 58 Pakistan Hobart, Australia Bellerive Oval 2010
14 168 59 New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand Basin Reserve 2010
15 112? 72 Sri Lanka Colombo, Sri Lanka Sinhalese Sports Club Ground 2011
16 151? 73 South Africa Cape Town, South Africa Newlands 2011
17 139? 75 New Zealand Brisbane, Australia Gabba 2011
18 329*? 78 India Sydney, Australia Sydney Cricket Ground 2012
19 210? 80 India Adelaide, Australia Adelaide Oval 2012
Clarke is the highest run-maker in Test matches at the SCG on 329*, succeeding Reginald Foster, who previously held the record, with a score of 287.
One-Day Internationals
Clarke's highest ODI batting score of 130 was made against India, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, 2007
Michael Clarke best ODI bowling figures of 5 for 35 came against Sri Lanka, at Dambulla, 2003–04
Michael Clarkewas the captain of Australia for the 2009 One Dayers as well as Twenty20 matches vs England
Michael Clarke was named full-time one-day and test captain of Australia on 29 March 2011.
A match-by-match breakdown of Clarke's ODI batting career as at 23 January 2012, showing runs scored (bars - not out innings in orange, others in blue) and the career to-date batting average (red line). An alternative image showing a 10 match moving average is also available.
One-Day International Centuries Key
* denotes that he remained not out.
? denotes that he was the captain of the Australian team in that match.
One Day International Match Centuries of Michael Clarke
# Runs Match Against City/Country Venue Year
1 105* 28 Zimbabwe Harare, Zimbabwe Harare Sports Club 2004
2 103* 40 Pakistan Sydney, Australia Sydney Cricket Ground 2004
3 130 113 India Bangalore, India M. Chinnaswamy Stadium 2007
4 100?* 155 Pakistan Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed Stadium 2009
5 111?* 179 India Visakhapatnam, India ACA-VDCA Stadium 2010
6 101? 196 Bangladesh Dhaka, Bangladesh Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium 2011
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