Quitting T20 made me a better player: Michael Clarke
Australia captain Michael Clarke says his decision to retire from T20 cricket at the start of 2011 has made him a better player in the longer formats of the game.
|Last Updated: Jan 06, 2012, 07:01 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Sydney: Australia captain Michael Clarke says his decision to retire from T20 cricket at the start of 2011 has made him a better player in the longer formats of the game.
Clarke had a dream Sydney Test, scoring a monumental 329 not out, taking the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar and captaining Australia to an emphatic win over India to go 2-0 up in the series.
Since becoming captain and retiring from T20, Clarke has amassed 819 Test runs at an average of 68.25 and hit four hundreds.
"The greatest thing about the Twenty20 competitions is it is very individual, each individual player has the opportunity to make his own decision, and I think the T20 in Australia has been outstanding," Clarke said.
"I think I made the right decision to stand down from T20 cricket internationally and to focus on my one-day and Test cricket. I really thought I had to improve my game, to try to become the player I want to be, to become the best player I can possibly be."
"I don`t know what my results say or my statistics over the last 12 months, but I feel my game is better now than it was 12 months ago, that is for sure."
Clarke took the captaincy from Ricky Ponting for the Sri Lanka tour in August. He led the team to a 1-0 win in the island nation followed by the drawn series against South Africa and New Zealand.
Clarke feels the added responsibility has not come in the way of his batting.
"Captaincy has probably put a bit of extra responsibility on me, but I don`t feel like I have changed my game," Clarke said.
"I guess what I have worked on over the last 12 months is really trying hard to improve my game, facing our bowlers in the nets with brand new balls to improve my technique. Facing a lot of spin on unprepared wickets to improve my game against spin when we travel to the subcontinent," he explained.
Australia are on course to win the series against India and Clarke sees the once "invincible" unit is heading in the right direction.
"This whole team in my opinion is heading in the right direction. We have a lot of work to do, but we are heading in the right direction and I am just enjoying the opportunity to lead so many good young players."
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.