Australia Cricket Wallpapers: Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke Biography
Full name: Michael John Clarke
Date of Birth:April 2, 1981
Place of Birth:Liverpool, New South Wales
Major teams: Australia, Hampshire, New South Wales
Nickname: Pup
Playing role: Lower middle order batsman
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Slow left-arm orthodox
Height: 1.82 m
Career statistics :
Test debut: India v Australia at Bangalore - Oct 6-10, 2004
ODI debut : Australia v England at Adelaide - Jan 19, 2003
Twenty20 Int. debut: New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - Feb 17, 2005
First-class span: 1999/00 - 2005/06
List A span: 2000/01 - 2005/06
Twenty20 span: 2004 - 2005/06
Awards:
Allan Border Medal 2005

Profile:
Michael Clarke already boasts a possibly unique claim to fame in Australian cricketing folklore: he was anointed as his country's next captain before he'd played a single Test. When he made his debut and a thrilling 151 against India at Bangalore his future looked even brighter than the yellow motorbike he received as the Man of the Match. The amazing ride continued with another stunning century on his home welcome at the Gabba, and his first Test season ended with the Allan Border Medal. Then came the fall.

Barely a year after his debut he was scuffing his feet around Hobart's Bellerive Oval while receiving a call from Trevor Hohns that ended his starburst at 20 Tests. A streak of 531 runs without a century through series against Pakistan, New Zealand, England, the World XI, and West Indies led to his demotion and a desire "to tighten his technique", especially in the early stages against the swinging ball. An unbeaten 201 for New South Wales in the Pura Cup was a brave and swift response, but while he remained a one-day fixture he had to wait until the low-key series against Bangladesh to reclaim his Test place. Three muted innings forced him and his supporters to look to the Ashes - and opponents who successfully restricted his output in 2005 - to re-determine his international worth.

Michael Clarke