Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke believes his ex-teammate and current captain Steve Smith is going through a challenging period as a captain. The World Cup-winning skipper said that while Smith’s batting has been exemplary, he needs to lead the way as captain.
“Smith’s batting has been outstanding for a long time but his captaincy is challenged now. He needs to define the way for his team to have success,” Clarke was quoted as saying by PTI.
Well, one cannot disagree with Clarke’s assessment of how Smith has fared as a batsman and captain in recent months. Smith was the standout performer in the Test series against India earlier this year, finishing the series as the highest run-scorer but could not inspire his team to a series win. It was followed by a group-stage exit in the Champions Trophy though weather played a big part in it as two out of their three games were washed-out.
Recently, Australia drew the Test series in Bangladesh and are now trailing India by 1-0 in the ongoing five-match series. Clarke feels the upcoming second game, scheduled to be played on Thursday (September 21) will decide the course of the series.
“It’s high time that Australia make a comeback. I think this is the match that will decide the course of the series,” he said.
Clarke further heaped praise on chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav who took two wickets in the series-opener in Chennai.
“He is an attacking bowler. His control as a wrist spinner from the back of his hand is amazing and is his strength. He has got all the skills, spins both ways, bowls long spells. He did well in the Test series,” said the ex-cricketer.
With Dhoni looking in ominous form at the moment, Clarke jokingly added:
“Don’t ask me whether he will play in the 2019 World Cup. He will play in 2023.”
Clarke also backed David Warner to make a significant impact in the series along with Smith. The southpaw recently scored two centuries in the Test series against Bangladesh but could not carry the same form in the first ODI, scoring only 25.
“He got centuries in Bangladesh… It is hard to overlook him by seeing his performance in one game,” said Clarke before adding:
“He will find ways to score, he always does. He will have lot of impact in the series. He and Smith will be the leading scorers for Australia in the series. Hopefully, they start scoring from Kolkata.