The Ashes 2015: Michael Clarke set to become one of Australia’s chief destroyers of England

MICHAEL Clarke sits on the precipice of joining Bradman, Waugh, Chappell, Ponting and Border as one of Australia’s chief destroyers of the Old Enemy.

Australia's Michael Clarke plays a shot during the tour match against Kent at The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury, England Thursday June 25, 2015. (Nigel French/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

If Michael Clarke leads from the front again this Ashes series he will sit alongside the likes of Bradman, Waugh, Chappell, Ponting and Border as one of the greatest conquerors of England that Australian cricket has ever seen.

No batsman in the world has scored as many runs or hundreds against England as Clarke in the period since he debuted into the Test arena back in 2004.

With seven centuries against the old enemy and 28 overall in his career, Clarke is on the verge of joining a pantheon of legends to have excelled in cricket’s toughest test.

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Steve Waugh celebrates his famous century at the SCG. Picture: Brett Costello

Ricky Ponting, Allan Border and Arthur Morris scored eight centuries each against England, Greg Chappell nine and Steve Waugh 10.

Sir Donald Bradman stands alone with an astonishing 19, but Clarke needs just one more ton to match the Don’s overall career mark of 29 hundreds.

As a captain and as a player, this Ashes tour shapes as a final frontier for Clarke in many ways in a career where he has achieved almost everything else there is to tick off in the game.

Clarke has been there for every agonising moment of Australia’s three consecutive Ashes losses in England, spanning 14 years.

He says breaking that drought would serve as a landmark moment for Australian cricket and that his personal history in it all doesn’t matter — it’s about the team.

Ricky Ponting lived for the Ashes.

“I’ve got a lot greyer,” Clarke said of the trials of 2005, ‘09 and 2013.

“I haven’t really thought about what it means to me personally, my concern is about this team.

“My focus is about where we’ve come to over a period of time as a team and what our next major goal is and that’s having success in the UK.

“There’s not too many things this team hasn’t achieved, winning in England is one of them.

“So for a lot of the players who are experienced and have played a lot of cricket for Australia I think it would fantastic to win over here.

“For the young players I think they’re as eager and as hungry as I’ve seen.

“It’s not about individuals right now.”

The 2013-14 Ashes whitewash in Australia might have been spearheaded by Mitchell Johnson but back-to-back centuries by Clarke in the first two Tests laid an essential foundation.

Against England, Clarke has scored 2109 runs at 44.87 with seven hundreds and seven 50s.

Next on the world list is Shane Watson with 1438 runs and two tons.

Away from home in English conditions Clarke also rates with the best of them with an average of 48.5.

Shane Warne says Clarke has been there through some tough times for Australian cricket and that makes his efforts against England even more meritorious.

“Michael scored two hundreds in the 5-0 Ashes whitewash of 2006-07 but that team started to break up not long afterwards and the one he inherited as captain after we had lost the 2010-11 Ashes was not in a good place,” Warne wrote in The Sunday Times.

Allan Border scored eight centuries against England.

“There weren’t many established senior pros and the younger players had little experience of winning.

“You learn most about captains and players during the tough times and I think that period from 2011 until the end of the 2013 Ashes defeat (in England) showed him at his very best.”

Clarke is now more than six months post hamstring surgery and is looking fit after a solid hit-out in the tour matches — spending over three hours in the middle for his 77 against Essex in Chelmsford — his longest innings since going under the knife.

“I’m really comfortable with where my game is at the moment,” he said.

“I feel really good with the bat … my feet are moving well.”

MOST CENTURIES AGAINST ENGLAND BY AN AUSSIE:

Donald Bradman: 19

Steve Waugh: 10

Greg Chappell: 9

Ricky Ponting: 8

Allan Border: 8

Arthur Morris: 8

Michael Clarke: 7

Originally published as The Ashes 2015: Michael Clarke set to become one of Australia’s chief destroyers of England