Clarke caught in no-man's land
Robert Craddock writes in the Courier-Mail that Michael Clarke's decision to fly home from New Zealand indicates that he is deeply distressed, and a break from the game might be his best option.
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
Robert Craddock writes in the Courier-Mail that Michael Clarke's decision to fly home from New Zealand indicates that he is deeply distressed, and a break from the game might be his best option.
Allan Border once dropped a timeless quote: "If you want to go the long journey in cricket, you either have to have a smooth relationship or be single - anything in between is a nightmare". Through no fault of his own, Michael Clarke is caught in the territory no man wants to visit. Clarke must get his home life in order and, if needs-be, take a decent break from the game.
His fiancee rather than his cricket must be his first priority and he should not return to cricket until he and his partner are at peace with their lives. The nude photo scandal which has engulfed Lara Bingle has claimed Clarke as well because he is the man who must ease his partner's angst.
Peter Roebuck writes in the Age that Clarke has reached a critical juncture at which he needs make a choice regarding his career path.
Michael Clarke needs to choose between a fraught personal life and his career in cricket. All the evidence indicates that the current position is untenable. As Mark Antony could testify, obsession can be a man's undoing. If Clarke is unwilling to make the call then cricket will make it for him. In the nick of time, Ricky Ponting sorted himself out. Now it is Clarke's turn.
Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here