Cricket’s Greatest Michael Clarke

[Gollum]

Vijy, as a pure batsman I rate Clarke behind (other than the names you mentioned) Morris, Trumper, Hayden & Ian Chappell(yes Ian !!!). He is on par with(may be just ahead of ) Boon, Ponsford, McCabe, Lawry and Simpson. Actually I can't find enough reasons to even rate him above his contemporaries like Younis Khan, Graeme Smith, Sehwag and KP .

[HippoSucks]

Vijy, as a pure batsman I rate Clarke behind (other than the names you mentioned) Morris, Trumper, Hayden & Ian Chappell(yes Ian !!!). He is on par with(may be just ahead of ) Boon, Ponsford, McCabe, Lawry and Simpson. Actually I can't find enough reasons to even rate him above his contemporaries like Younis Khan, Graeme Smith, Sehwag and KP .

Greame Smith is almost an ATG and is comparable with players like Sangakkara. It is unfair to compare him with Clarke. Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen are also different types of players so the comparison with Clarke doesn't make sense. As for Younis Khan, both him and Clarke are very good against spin. Although Younis Khan is slightly better in that regard. Against pace Clarke is better by a long distance. I would rate Clarke just above Younis Khan.

[Vijy]

Vijy, as a pure batsman I rate Clarke behind (other than the names you mentioned) Morris, Trumper, Hayden & Ian Chappell(yes Ian !!!). He is on par with(may be just ahead of ) Boon, Ponsford, McCabe, Lawry and Simpson. Actually I can't find enough reasons to even rate him above his contemporaries like Younis Khan, Graeme Smith, Sehwag and KP .

Well, Clarke's team (during his captaincy) never had the luxury that Smith and Sehwag enjoyed of having at least 2-3 top-notch batsmen. I mean, Hussey was the only top-notch batsman around; Warner in early days was quite raw, Smith was still a baby, etc. The names you mentioned may (or may not) be better than Clarke, but I was solely comparing against Oz batsman. For a team that has dominated at many points in history, they haven't produced all that many batsmen with very high avgs. Ian Chappell was rated very highly in terms of talent, but he seems to have been more like Mark Waugh - didn't really translate that into stats. Comparing the oldies like Morris and esp Trumper is too difficult (only statistical anomalies like Bradman single themselves out). To this list, one could also add Dougie Walters, Mike Hussey and esp the great McCabe. Clarke alternated between many phases in career - started with a bang, went steady, then declined, etc... hit that purple patch for some years... and then again fell into decline.

[Vijy]

Greame Smith is almost an ATG and is comparable with players like Sangakkara. It is unfair to compare him with Clarke. Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen are also different types of players so the comparison with Clarke doesn't make sense. As for Younis Khan, both him and Clarke are very good against spin. Although Younis Khan is slightly better in that regard. Against pace Clarke is better by a long distance. I would rate Clarke just above Younis Khan.

Smith was a 4th innings specialist who played several remarkable knocks there. Still not quite an ATG for me - Amla, ABDV and Kallis were superior IMO. Sehwag is close to Clarke... both achieved remarkable deeds in home conditions and were not-so-remarkable abroad. But, both did have some outstanding innings abroad as well. I'm not sure about how I rate KP given his topsy-turvy career and attendant controversies. For Younis Khan, I have the highest respect as a person (compared to other Pakis certainly) and as a batsman. He is ungainly, was quite ordinary in the beginning of his career, but he has morphed a lot.. for me, I'll take him over Mohd. Yousuf and Abbas, and just below Inzy and Miandad. The master of the 4th innings, and one of the best players of spin in the 21st century.

[Texy]

Still remember Clarke's bowling...6 for 9 in Border-Gavaskar trophy :cantstop:

[Vijy]

Still remember Clarke's bowling...6 for 9 in Border-Gavaskar trophy :cantstop:

Underbowled himself, and underperformed as a bowler.

[Precambrian]

Still remember Clarke's bowling...6 for 9 in Border-Gavaskar trophy :cantstop:

What a fluke performance that was! Murali Kartik ran through Aussie lineup in that match :haha: Aussie cricketers spat on that pitch after the loss apparently. Sore losers.

[Vijy]

What a fluke performance that was! Murali Kartik ran through Aussie lineup in that match :haha: Aussie cricketers spat on that pitch after the loss apparently. Sore losers.

Whilst the Brits urinate on them when they win... ungraceful winners? :giggle:

[Gollum]

Clarke didn't bowl much because of his back. Utterly ordinary bowler. India made him look like Underwood on a wet pitch every time in tests as well as ODIs.

[Raghav_12]

Me neither. He's the greatest cricketer with the name of Michael Clarke... possibly even the greatest cricketer with the surname "Clarke".

question is if he is greatest ever Michael? Clarke is given.

[CricketBuffOne]

Did all that' date=' but some of Clarke's innings were genuinely heroic in a way that few batsmen's were... I'm thinking mostly of his knocks against a pretty potent SA attack. I'm certainly not downplaying Haydos of course... bloke would make the Aus All-time Test XI.[/quote'] Remember Clarke's 161 against SA in Cape Town. It was a top-notch effort from him. During his 161 run knock he endured some brutal bowling from Morne Morkel, took several body blows, but didn't give-up and won the match and the series for Australia. For me, it has to be the bravest knock of his glorious career.

[Vijy]

question is if he is greatest ever Michael? Clarke is given.

Not for me - Mike Hussey across formats, for one, was better. And Holding is another famous name that comes to mind.

[kosingh]

LOL we're now trying to find the greatest Michael in cricket! I love ICF

[HippoSucks]

He was actually a decent bowler and would have picked up a lot more wickets if not for his back issues.

[adi B]

Not for me - Mike Hussey across formats' date=' for one, was better. And Holding is another famous name that comes to mind.[/quote'] Naah Michael hussey was always found wanting against good pace attack,his record is very average in windies,England and saf,he was another HTB ,even clarke is but i would rate clarke higher than hussey every day.Clarke was a more classier batsman as well

[Raghav_12]

Michael Bevan is clearly better than him in ODI cricket.

[Vijy]

Naah Michael hussey was always found wanting against good pace attack' date='his record is very average in windies,England and saf,he was another HTB ,even clarke is but i would rate clarke higher than hussey every day.Clarke was a more classier batsman as well[/quote'] I said "across all formats" in case you missed it. I'm surprised you'd rate Clarke higher than Hussey in ODIs and T20s.

[Vijy]

Michael Bevan is clearly better than him in ODI cricket.

Indeed.

[CricketBuffOne]

LOL we're now trying to find the greatest Michael in cricket! I love ICF

:two_thumbs_up:

[CricketBuffOne]

Michael Bevan is clearly better than him in ODI cricket.

Raghav, agree with you. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Bevan was, if not the most, then one of the most dependable ODI players and therefore a captains delight.