Michael Clarke’s problem is he hasn’t found a niche in the real world, writes Rebecca Wilson
MICHAEL Clarke’s problem is he hasn’t found a niche in the real world, writes Rebecca Wilson.
Cricket
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ONE of the toughest decisions any elite athlete has to make is when it’s time to go.
Nobody sets the rules, instincts desert you and even your closest mates find it difficult to tell you
the truth when your sporting career is finished.
Michael Clarke is surrounded by friends and close advisers who appear to have a rose-tinted view
of the world.
The Australian cricket captain was afforded all of the pomp and ceremony of a retiring captain when he left the field for the last time, not a minute too soon given the disasters in England on the last Ashes tour.
His formerly prodigious batting talent had pretty much deserted him and his relationships with teammates were, let’s just say, not at their best.
A few reminders from those so-called mates should include (1) he is nearly 35; (2) he was playing like a busted ... when he quit, desperately out of form; (3) the captaincy has been handed to a younger, hand-picked bloke called Stephen Smith who does not want Clarke around.
If, indeed, Clarke’s sole ambition is to play some club cricket, all success to him. But Clarke has never been one to put aside his ambition and just dabble in suburban cricket.
They all tell you it is never about the money. The endorsements an Australian cricketer earns, however, have become so lucrative that it is very difficult to say goodbye to the pay packet each week.
Clarke’s problem is that he is yet to find a niche in the real world. While Ponting, Taylor and Waugh have all found their place and they are comfortable in it, Clarke is like a little boy lost away from cricket.
Perhaps he should sit down with his mates and his manager and peruse some serious career options that involve going to an office for a
40-hour week.
A lot of people do it, Michael, and it isn’t that hard.
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