I wasn’t a good vice captain – Michael Clarke
Oct 18, 2016 at 2:10 PM
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke, at a recent media event, admitted that he wasn’t a good deputy to Ricky Ponting when the latter was in charge of the Australian setup. Clarke, who retired from the game after losing the 2015 Ashes 3-2 in England, spoke about his stint as the vice-captain, where he shared a turbulent relationship with some teammates. The New South Wales icon in his conversation was quick to admit that his equation with then Australian captain Ricky Ponting wasn’t the most cordial one.
In the past, Ponting himself mentioned in his autobiography, that he didn’t find enough support from Clarke in his last few days as Australia’s skipper. According to sources, it was Clarke, who put pressure on the selectors to axe Ponting from ODIs, in the 2012 CB series, which ultimately led to Ponting’s retirement from the shorter form of the game.
“In his autobiography, Ricky wrote that he was ‘disappointed with some of the things I did as vice-captain’. He didn’t accuse me of being treacherous or disruptive but said I was reluctant to get involved in planning meetings or daily debriefs and take on a leadership role. When my private life was turbulent, he said, I would go into my shell. He was right. I was not a good vice-captain to him,” said Clarke.
Clarke also stated that former selector John Invararity was keen to ensure that the 2012 Perth test against South Africa was Ponting’s last for Australia, after the two-time World Cup winning captain was struggling for form. “John confides that the other selectors have made their minds up that Perth will be Ricky’s last Test match, whether he scores nought or a hundred.” Ponting, of course, had come to a similar conclusion. But things would have played out in far more ugly fashion had he not,” Clarke said