Clarke rues poor form after Test squad omission

SYDNEY—Dropped Australian middle-order batsman Michael Clarke accepts that his poor run of form was the reason why he was axed from the test squad by his country’s selectors on Monday. The 24-year-old was replaced by the fit-again Justin Langer for the third and final test against West Indies starting on Friday in Adelaide. Langer missed the opening two tests, both won by Australia, due to a broken rib and his place was taken by Mike Hussey, who formed a successful makeshift opening partnership with Matthew Hayden. Hussey retained his place in the squad but is expected to take Clarke’s spot further down the order. “I suppose the recent 10 months in test cricket my numbers don’t stack up to where I would have liked them,” Clarke told reporters on Tuesday.
“I don’t think my performances have been where I would have liked them”. “I’ve had great opportunity, I’ve had plenty of time to perform, to score runs and I haven’t done that. “I can’t blame the Ashes for why I am standing here today”. Clarke is the fifth player to be dropped from Australia’s Ashes-losing test squad in England, joining bowlers Michael Kasprowoicz and Jason Gillespie and fellow batsmen Damien Martyn and Simon Katich. Clarke said he would not adopt a conservative approach to his batting, as a result of his dropping.
“I don’t want to change the way I play, I enjoy the way I play, I enjoy walking out to bat and being positive and being aggressive, so I don’t want to change that too much,” he said. “I’ll have a look at the last 12 months and see where I think I can improve and we’ll see how I go, but I don’t think I’m batting too bad”. Clarke is due to play for New South Wales in their four-day match against Queensland starting in Sydney on Saturday.—Agencies