Michael Clarke’s comeback intriguing, but stranger things have happened, writes Richard Hinds

THE day Michael Clarke announced his comeback plans, Shane Watson scored 124 n.o for Australia in a T20 match, showing that nothing should be ruled out, writes Richard Hinds.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 20: Michael Clarke of Australia walks from the ground in his last test after being dismissed by Ben Stokes of England during day one of the 5th Investec Ashes Test match between England and Australia at The Kia Oval on August 20, 2015 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

THERE is nothing like the arrival of a second child to make you want to spend less time at home.

When the alternative to the change table is seven hours in the commentary box trading blokey banter with Warnie, Jimmy and Nicho about the ideal pizza topping, a sharp blow to the groin from a Dale Steyn thunderbolt next summer must seem enticing.

Which is not to trivialise Michael Clarke’s typically well-orchestrated announcement he intends to make a comeback – or to at least run the idea up the flagpole and see if a once adoring nation salutes.

The natural reaction to the Sunday Telegraph’s revelation was disbelief. When Clarke retired he was out of form and out of favour. The sluggish movement and addled thinking in England were of a batsman who had delayed his retirement too long, not one who walked away too soon.

Clarke, who made just 132 runs at 16.5 in his last series, was not the only Australian batsman humiliated by the England seamers. But his dismissals betrayed the heavy physical and emotional toll both his wonderful career, and recent tragedy, had taken.

Some at Cricket Australia insist Clarke’s sole intention is to join the Geezer Gang dominating the BBL. Yet he did not limit his ambition in either the Sunday Telegraph or a subsequent radio interview.

So was Clarke merely flagging his T20 superannuation scheme or does he harbour serious intentions of playing Test cricket again? Either way, we have no right to impose our misgivings on his decision.

The squeamish looked away as Lleyton Hewitt was beaten by a succession of his former ball boys during his long twilight. But by taking those beatings the former World No.1 proved his colossal thirst for competition endured beyond his mastery of the opposition. Inevitably his departure was mostly endearing, not humiliating.

There could be something admirable about Clarke attempting to eke out the runs required to satisfy the national selectors in grade and Sheffield Shield games. It might demonstrate a man sometimes cast as a prince and a pretty boy was far more dedicated and driven than his detractors appreciated. But the risk of reputational damage would be great.

Clarke’s brave century in the Adelaide Test soon after his emotional eulogy for Phillip Hughes and his half century in the victorious World Cup final were conclusive, even defining. Those innings defied the team’s fraught internal politics and questions about his fitness and endure beyond his anticlimactic Ashes farewell.

So, again, you can’t help wonder why Clarke would knock on a dressing room door the selectors were about to slam in his face.

Clarke is so driven by perfection he even road tests his own emotions. Where others would simply declare they miss the game, he says of his return for grade club Western Suburbs: ‘’I’ll see if I miss it as much as I feel like I’m going to’’.

Such meticulous, almost obsessive attention to detail can make Clarke seem self-centred, even aloof. This was the genesis of Clarke’s problems with Cricket Australia. What some saw as a laudable commitment to personal preparation others took as an inability to work within the structures of a team he was supposed to lead.

Some insiders suggest both the fractured relationship with the team hierarchy and the need for renewal make it inconceivable Clarke would be recalled unless – even if – he worked the scorers’ fingers to the bone.

Yet on the day Clarke announced his “comeback’’, Shane Watson scored 124 not out captaining Australia’s T20 team. So as we consider Clarke in the Baggy Green again, we can say without fear of contradiction: stranger things have happened.