Oz media says Clarke `most important player in country` since Border

Melbourne: The Australian media has said that captain Michael Clarke is the country`s most important cricketer since the legendary Allan Border

According to Telegraph.com.au, although Clarke still has not achieved the best captain mantle like Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath, he is Australia`s only world class player and, like Border, has a side which seems to spend much of its time in a revolving door. Comparing Clarke`s case with Border`s, the report said that no one since Border has faced a greater burden than Clarke, who has an increasingly dodgy back from carrying the team`s load, adding that similar to Clarke, there was a time when Border was the only player assured of selection in the team. The report further said that at that time, Australia went more than a year, 1986, and 14 Tests without a victory similar to the two years under Clarke`s captaincy, adding that currently Australia has gone nine Tests without a victory, which is the worst run since 1986. The fact that Clarke has had more players than he has captained Tests is a marked contrast to the leaders who came before him, including Ponting, who led 46 players in 77 Tests, Steve Waugh 28 in 57 matches and Mark Taylor 36 in 50 Tests, the report added.