Michael Clarke began learning his leadership lessons from his peers much before he was appointed captain of Australia's Twenty20 team to play New Zealand.
MELBOURNE: Michael Clarke began learning his leadership lessons from his peers much before he was appointed captain of Australia's Twenty20 team to play New Zealand.
He could not have found a better company than two former Australia captains, in Mark Taylor and Ian Chappell, at a dinner table in Hobart during last month's Test against Sri Lanka.
According to Melbourne daily, The Age, Mark Taylor and Ian Chappell, along with fellow Channel Nine commentators Michael Slater and Mark Nicholas, were at the table and although they were not there to talk specifically about captaincy. But the 26-year-old Clarke took the opportunity to soak up their accumulated knowledge over a glass or two of wine.
Clarke's education in leadership, that started when he had barely broken in his Baggy Green, continued and his inquisitive nature was among the qualities that convinced John Buchanan, the former Australian coach, that he would one day captain his country.
Now that Clarke has been officially appointed to lead Australia for a Twenty20 match against New Zealand, Buchanan hopes the transition is allowed to happen naturally.
He sees no need for Cricket Australia to rush things by replacing Adam Gilchrist with Clarke as vice-captain of the Test or one-day teams until Adam Gilchrist, 36, retires from one or both forms of the game.
"Adam is still a person that most people in the team can learn a lot of things from," Buchanan said.
"Having him still in that role of vice-captain is important for the team and also for Ricky Ponting. At this stage there is still too much to be learned and gained from Adam for that to be rushed," he added.
Buchanan said that Clarke had grilled his superiors, including Ponting and Shane Warne, and questioning their decisions and always piped up in team meetings. This was not a sign of impertinence, nor because he doubted the wisdom of senior teammates.
"He was just always trying to question leaders in the team, and trying to glean from them why they did what they did, and how they did it, at the end of a day's play, through training or over coffee ... I see a mixture of Stephen Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne.
"There is that aggression, innovativeness, singlemindedness, the importance of listening to those around you and there is the individuality. Ultimately it will be Michael Clarke, but there will be touches of all those people."
Buchanan believes Clarke has also realised the importance of making the right decisions off the field. The batsman agrees his priorities shifted dramatically since his return to the Test arena after he was dropped at the end of 2005, and it shows in his performances in both forms of the game.
"I don't think it's a cricket thing. I think it's the difference between being 23 and 26. Who would have thought I would rather stay home with (girlfriend) Lara (Bingle) or have a barbie with my mates instead of go to a nice restaurant and then out to a nightclub? " Clarke said.
"Every young cricketer wants to captain their country, and I'm over the moon, but this is only one game. I've got a long way to go."
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