Australia batsmen Michael Clarke received a lot of criticism after leading his team to a crushing Ashes defeat as England registered a thumping innings and 78 run-win in the fourth Test in Nottingham. The 34-year-old announced his retirement from international cricket, at the end of the series, following a particularly poor tour in which he clocked just 117 runs from four Tests.
Clarke is under fire from various quarters for the way he handled affairs and many feel Steven Smith should have already been handed the reins. However, for West Indies great Viv Richards, Clarke should not be remembered for the series loss alone as his legacy is far greater.
“I have always been a fan of Michael Clarke. Let’s not forget what the guy achieved recently. They won the Ashes five zip against England and immediately after that they won the World Cup. Things certainly didn’t work out for him in this trip. But what I find would be sad is individuals, because his last series was poor, would remember him for that,” Richards told Sport360 on Wednesday.
“Let’s remember that there is much more cricket out there that has been played. You cannot just point your finger at this particular series. He has been pretty much consistent over the years. He should never ever be remembered for this Ashes loss because there is a bigger picture than the Ashes,” added the Antiguan who spoke at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai ahead of the Hyatt Gold Passport Members annual event.
According the Caribbean batting great, though England came out on top in this Ashes, a trend is emerging where teams are rampant at home but below par while touring.
“It looks to me like in the future when England go Down Under, they are going to prepare fast and bouncy pitches and Australia are going to win in that series. And when Australia tour England you will see wickets that help the seamers. So you will get some players who can be backed in only their backyard. That would be sad because if you are a good cricket team, you should be able to get it done in any condition,” added the 63-year-old.
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Richards, who has 24 Test and 11 ODI centuries to his name, added that though England captain Alastair Cook has silenced his critics for now by winning the Ashes, he is not out of the woods yet.
“You saw the achievements of Clarke and all of a sudden he is under the pump because of a series loss. It shows that every series you play, you are going to be under the pump. It’s never over until you retire. Cook has come back well after the 5-0 loss in Australia. Let’s see when they go on tour, hopefully they will be playing in the UAE… if he is successful here, you can say he has made progress.”
Moving away from the Ashes, Richards talked about the Test series involving Sri Lanka and India, praising the aggressive demeanour of India Test captain Virat Kohli.
“I like his style. I was in Australia when he played that Test series (which India lost 2-0 at the start of the year). I loved the way he stood up. He was targeted as a batsman. When the Australians know what you are capable of, they come at you with everything. They threw the kitchen sink at him. I appreciated his attitude. This is how I want to see young players front up to aggression when it comes to the verbal stuff. His response was as good as any, scoring centuries. The only thing missing in that series was India having success,” he said.
The West Indian great also provided some food for thought to cricket administrators in the UAE, saying he is ready to provide guidance to budding cricketers in the Emirate.
“I am always available. I am open to anything. I am still very much alive where the game is concerned. It’s not all about coaching or the technical side of things today. When you are a Test or T20 player, it’s all about managing certain things. Coaching is for kids and then you get them to a point and letting them go.”
