Bear with me

Here’s a little stirrer for you cricket lovers out there. Recently WWOS writer David Lowden published this article http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=372243 regarding Michael Clarke’s captaincy credentials.

In the article, he believes Clarke is not ready for captaining Australia, but fails to go into details as to why Clarke should not be handed the captaincy.

May I first point out here that I am not saying Clarke should not be handed the Australian vice-captaincy or the eventual captaincy when Ponting retires. I am merely going to point out there are other options should Cricket Australia look outside the square.

I personally must agree with David. I don’t believe much in Clarke’s captaincy credentials, especially when you consider he doesn’t have any domestic experience nor much international experience.

I can hear you say he captained the 20/20 side this summer. Big deal. 20/20 is not test cricket or even ODI cricket, which was the 20/20 cricket of the 70’s. Test cricket requires not only requires tactical sense, but the ability to lead men.

Clarke is a bubbly, cheerful sort of bloke who gets on well with his teammates. In that respect he is a good choice. However, the best captains have strong personalities that unite a team and would inspire the players to fight from the trenches.

Steve Waugh had that sort of dominant personality, as did Alan Border and Stephen Fleming. Clarke does not yet have that sort of steel in his spine, which may come from more exposure to top level opponents at test level.

Other captains lead by example. Ricky Ponting falls into this category, being his team’s best batsman. Brian Lara fell into the category as well, although he can be argued that his captaincy was partially marred by the fact that the Windies were on the decline during his era.

Clarke needs to sit down and begin to learn the nuances of the game. And one person that he could sit down with is Mark Taylor, arguably the greatest modern day cricket captain (A close race with the master tactician Fleming).

Taylor was probably the perfect mix of iron will, diplomacy, tactics, and was not afraid to lead by example. In the famous 1995 series against the Windies, he hooked Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose fearlessly to show his teammates not to back down. It worked wonders for the team.

Now selectors may or may not go with Clarke as their leader for the future. But it there are other candidates that are equally worthy of the chance to lead the country if selected in the future.

One man in particular stands out on his own. He is still young for a cricketer, being 24 at the present time, and he has held the captaincy of his state since he was 20, not to mention the captaincy of Somerset when he made a big impact over there for two seasons.

That man is Cameron White.

I have a feeling people are starting to doubt my sanity here, but if you think about it and look at the facts, it makes good sense.

White is currently captain of Victoria, having led the side well and celebrating several cups including multiple 20/20 championships and getting to the Pura Cup Final in multiple times during his tenure.

Although he was originally a leg spinner, he has blossomed into a powerful and increasingly consistent middle order batsman that features in a dominant Victorian trio of Hodge, Hussey and White.

White average is currently averaging 41.52 with the bat with a high score of 260 not out. Clarke was not even averaging over 40 when he first broke into the Australian team and although he is definitely a better batsman then White, White seems to keep improving.

White is a useful if not devastating leg spinner and a fine fieldsman. It is his leadership of his state that has been his greatest asset. He has shown all the maturity of a veteran in his 5 or so seasons in charge, and can tick every box off on the list above in regards to leadership qualities.

Australia could do worse than look to White in the future. He is a player with a large amount of talent and the experience to lead the Australian team into a new era.