http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 believes opting out of T20 cricket was beneficial – Cricket News Update
Australian skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Clarke-c1978 stated that opting out of T20 benefitted him in terms of getting better at the 50-over game and his most favoured Test cricket.
Speaking after his team’s second successive win over the Men In Blue at the SCG, Clarke recalled the time when he retired from the shorter version of the game, following the thumping by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 in the Ashes last year.
His last T20 bout came in a losing cause against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 in Oct, 2010 and after that he resisted the temptation of playing in lucrative leagues, both home and away.
Despite the Big Bash( T20 tournament) gathering overwhelming success, he opted out of the competition to focus solely on helping his side to find success in the longer version after high-profile disappointments. He was also given the added task of leading
the side after http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RT-Ponting-c2377 step down following the World Cup 2011.
"For me, I think I made the right decision to stand down from T20 cricket internationally at the time, to be able to focus on my one-day cricket and Test cricket. I really thought I had to improve my game, to try to become the player I want to be, to become
the best player I can possibly be,” said Clarke.
That certainly has paid dividend as evident in his showing since taking over the captaincy. He has played against all top nations under diverse conditions, managing to make 4 hundreds, the last one being a mammoth unbeaten 329.
He won his first series as captain on tour of Sri Lanka while the next two has seen him share the spoils against the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754. The ongoing series with the Men In Blue has been impressive so far, with the Kangaroos taking a 2-0
lead.
“I think that time, whether it be four or five days to be able to work on Test cricket before we travel and play a Test match [has been helpful]. I don't know what my results say, my statistics over the last 12 months, but I feel my game is in a better place
now than it was 12 months ago, that's for sure," added Clarke.
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