Melbourne, April 29: Australian skipper Michael Clarke has conceded that the importance of Twenty20 has become equavalent to that of Test cricket.
”It’s the same. It’s exactly the same,” Clarke said yesterday.
”For me, it’s as serious as a one-day match or a Test match. There are blokes in this squad who haven’t played Test cricket. They haven’t played one-day cricket. It’s the ultimate for them.
”It’s become exactly the same as one-day and Test cricket. It’s a form of the game that we want to be the best in the world at.
”We’re not there yet, we’re improving, but this (the Twenty20 World Cup) is a way for us to start,” he added.
He further revealed that he had approached Cricket Australia about changing its contract system to include Twenty20 specialists such as David Warner and David Hussey.
”I’ve told Cricket Australia that they should have contracts,” Clarke was quoted as saying by ‘The Herald Sun’.
”I think there should be a T20 contract introduced to our system.
”Players like David Warner and David Hussey .. they are here playing in a Twenty20 World Cup.
”They should be paid (under contract) for that.” Clarke said he has overcame his personal woes and would lead the Australian T20 side in the World Cup at the Caribbean with his full capabilities.
”I can guarantee you that I’m in a great position to lead this team.
”If I wasn’t – exactly like the New Zealand tour – I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t do that to my teammates.
”That’s why I went back to New Zealand because I knew I could perform – and I proved that. This is no different.
”If I wasn’t in a position to sit here today, I wouldn’t let my teammates down like that and I would leave,” Clarke said.
The stylish right-hander also claimed that he did not pay much heed to what was being said about him by his critics, including former Australian captain Ian Chappell.
”People are entitled to their own opinion and I feel very strongly about that.
”It’s part of life, mate. I love the game I play. I’m grateful to have this opportunity.
”But there are bigger things in this world. It’s just a game. It’s a game I love playing, but there’s your life as well.
”Sometimes, you have to make that call. What I know now is that what’s happening off the field has to stay there.
”When you cross that line, you have to make sure you’re ready to perform. That’s part of our life,” he noted.
——–Agencies