User:Aussie cricket rules!

The Australian cricket team has been the leading and most dominant cricket team in the World for over 20 years. Therefore, it is very important that the person who takes over the role of Ricky Ponting, as captain, needs to have incredible skill and ability to keep us the most dominant team in the world. There is one man who has the ability and skill to take over this job, and that is Michael Clarke.

When Michael Clarke first entered into international cricket, he came in with a bang. Smashing 208 runs in four ODI innings’, he got everyone’s attention, not only with his animated batting, but also with brilliant fielding, and spin bowling. When he finally got a chance at playing test match cricket, he surprised everyone again. Scoring 151 in his test debut against India, and another century when he came back to Australia, many considered that this young star could be the next captain of Australia. After playing international cricket for over two years, Michael Clarke’s form had a major slump. He was dropped from international cricket, after a terrible long run of bad performances with the bat. But we had not heard the end of him. When the selectors gave him a second chance in the 2006 Ashes, he came back, big time. Scoring two consecutive centuries, and ending up scoring 389 ashes runs with the average of 77.80, it was clear that a new, more responsible, and mature Clarke was back for good. The determination that Michael Clarke displayed during this time, to resecure his place in the side, is exactly the type of character that is wanted in a captain.

Already in Michael Clarke’s short career, he has accomplished several notable achievements. Two of the most outstanding would be, firstly, that he became the first Australian ever to score a century on both his home and tour debuts. In addition, after only one season of test cricket, he became the youngest player to receive the most prestigious award of an Australian cricketer, the Allan Border Medal. With such remarkable achievements in the early stages of Michael Clarke’s career, and hopefully many more to come, it is fair to say that he is the obvious and rightful heir of the captaincy of Australia.

Michael Clarke has played cricket most of his life and has throughout been put in a place of leadership. From an early age, he was skipper of primary and high school regional teams. He also has lead the under 19’s Australian side to World Cup victory. In addition, he is currently the Vice-captain of Australia, and has had the best year of his career since being so. Furthermore, on several occasions, he has captained the Australian cricket team, and has successfully won every game. All this confirms that he has the leadership skills necessary to be the next captain of Australia.

Many people have foreseen the ability and leadership skills in Michael Clarke, even in the first few years of his career. Indeed, cricket greats stated that he would be the next test captain of Australia, before he even played one test!! Furthermore, famous retired cricketers, such as Mark Taylor, Ian Chappel, Steve Waugh, Michael Slater, and Allan Border, all agree that, “He has all the tools of the trade to become Australia’s 43rd Test Captain.” (Dorries, 2008)

In conclusion, when we examine Michael Clarke’s cricket career, we can see that he has plenty of skill, ability, determination, and leadership skills. He also has the support of selectors, coaches, cricket greats and fans, who all enjoy watching his cricket and want him to be the next captain. Lastly, with the enthusiasm and determination he shows, whilst playing cricket, he adds an exciting and confident element to the team, and Aussie cricket fans all over the world should look forward to the day, when he becomes the next great leader of Australian cricket.