Clarke must shape up as batsman or forget about Oz captaincy: Ian Chappell
December 21st, 2010 - 11:52 am ICT by ANISydney, Dec 21(ANI): Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell has said that Michael Clarke must reaffirm his status as an irreplaceable Test batsman before he can lay claim to succeed Ricky Ponting as the captain of the national team.
Clarke will captain Australia for the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne should Ponting fail to recover from a finger injury picked up during the third-Test defeat of England in Perth.
The vice-captain has scored just 115 runs in the ongoing series at an average of 23 - a far cry from last year’s Ashes where he was Australia’s leading scorer with 448 at an average of 64.
“Just two to three weeks ago you’d have said if Ponting was injured and out of the Test match in Melbourne, that Clarke was a shoo-in, Clarke takes over,” the Herald Sun quoted Chappell, as saying.
“I’m sure Clarke will get the job in Melbourne if Ricky can’t play. But it’s a different question if you’re asking about permanent captaincy with Michael Clarke.”
“That’s where the area becomes really clouded because the England bowlers have sorted him out a bit with some short-pitched stuff,” he added.
Chappell insisted that the 29-year-old can’t be regarded as Ponting’s successor while he is carrying a glaring problem with short-pitched bowling.
“Clarke has got to answer those questions as a batsman before he gets back to that position of being undoubtedly the replacement for Ricky Ponting,” Chappell said. (ANI)
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- Injured Ponting out of fifth Ashes Test - Dec 30, 2010
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- Ponting shouldn't be in Oz dressing room: Ian Chappell - Jan 04, 2011
- Merv Hughes backs Clarke's appointment as stand-in captain for Sydney Test - Dec 31, 2010
- Chappell doesn't want Ponting in dressing room - Jan 03, 2011
- Australia drop Starc, Christian from 11 for Boxing Day Test - Dec 24, 2011
- Ponting survives axe, CA endorses him as skipper - Dec 31, 2010
- 'It's great to have Ponting back for World Cup,' says Clarke - Feb 12, 2011
- Injured Ponting looks strong for Boxing Day Ashes Test - Dec 23, 2010
- Gatting urges Ponting to walk away from Oz captaincy to prolong Test career - Dec 10, 2010
- Clarke to lead Australia in Sydney, Haddin vice-captain (Lead) - Dec 30, 2010
Tags: australian cricketer, bowling, captain australia, england bowlers, far cry, finger injury, fourth ashes test, glaring problem, herald sun, ian chappell, leading scorer, melbourne, michael clarke, perth, ricky, ricky ponting, test batsman, test match, third test, vice captain