The best cricket move Michael Klinger ever made was switching from Victoria to South Australia for the 2008-09 season. Klinger was struggling with the Bushrangers but immediately sparked with the Redbacks and quickly became a batsman as consistent as Darren Lehmann or Greg Blewett, two former local favourites. The performances were so strong that after two summers in Adelaide he was appointed captain and was often mentioned for higher honours.

In his first campaign with South Australia he stormed to 1203 runs at 70.76, with four hundreds and a best of 255 against Western Australia, and backed up last summer with 886 at 63.28. That haul included 207 not out against his old state on his former home ground. A technically-correct stylist with a reluctance to hit over the top - his first-class strike-rate is in the low 40s - Klinger showed he could change pace in the limited-overs forms. He has averaged more than 50 in the past two FR Cup campaigns, but didn't play any Twenty20s last year. The development made his elevation to captain a bit strange, since his first engagement in charge was the Champions League Twenty20.

It took Klinger seven years to fulfil his promise with a maiden first-class century with Victoria in 2005-06 and he built on that progress the next season. He was state's leading one-day run-scorer in 2006-07 and played every Pura Cup match post-Christmas, adding another hundred to his tally and finishing with 340 runs at 37.77. But 2007-08 was tougher and he decided to head west.

Boasting a decorated career as a junior - he was the youngest to score a first-grade century in Melbourne and captained the Australia Under-19 team - Klinger made his state debut in 1998-99 and capped his rise with a match-winning 80 against Tasmania in his opening Mercantile Mutual Cup appearance the following year. Although he was given plenty of chances, modest returns followed until 2000-01, when Klinger produced an excellent string of scores. He also hit the headlines after the captain Paul Reiffel amazingly declared an innings closed in Hobart when Klinger was 99.

Again his form waned but 1105 runs for his club St Kilda in 2004-05 - and a third premiership in a row - helped him regain his state spot the following year. The undoubted highlight was his 107 against Tasmania as the Bushrangers staged a remarkable recovery to win after following on. Still, Klinger totalled a quiet 263 first-class runs at 21.91. His second century came in 2006-07 as the side chased down 360 to beat New South Wales.
Cricinfo staff September 2010