Clarke's payback

It has happened again: a young Australian batsman has spent a season in county cricket getting used to English pitches just in time to return next summer in pursuit of the Ashes. Michael Clarke left Hampshire in mid-August having won admirers, despite a modest Championship average of 35.45 and a wait of nearly three months for his first hundred.

The tricky Rose Bowl pitches offered a tough introduction but a run of three consecutive centuries just before he left to join Australia's Champions Trophy squad suggested Clarke was adjusting to English conditions.

"He lost his confidence a bit at one stage because things were not working out," said the first-team manager Paul Terry, "but once the runs came he was back to his usual self. He just had to get a bit tighter technically and he worked hard on that. It is easy to forget how young he is [23]. And an overseas player has to handle a lot of pressure."

Despite a season spent chasing promotion - with seven wins by the end of August - there will be squad changes over the winter. "The whole season has been a gradual improvement on what we did last year," said Terry. He admits there are a few areas to strengthen before next summer - when Clarke and captain Shane Warne are likely to be otherwise engaged.