Former Australian captain Michael Clarke, an interview with Big Sports Breakfast, named ‘top 7’ batsmen he played with and against throughout his playing career. Clarke, who represented Australia for 12 years in international cricket, picked two Indian batsmen in his list.
Clarke is regarded as one of the best players in the history of Australian cricket and many pundits believe that he did a great job as captain of the Australian cricket team after Ricky Ponting.
Here are Michael Clarke’s ‘Top 7’ batsmen:
Brian Lara
“Probably my favorite batsman through my career,” Michael Clarke said. “
You look at statistics and his average is probably not as high as other names on this list but it was the way he played, whether that it was against fast bowlers or spinners. It was the success he had against Australia..”
Ricky Ponting
“I was lucky enough to play with some great batsman — Matthew Hayden, Steve Smith, David Warner, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn who was a genius. What separates Ricky is the era that he played. Just about every attack had two or three top-line, world-class bowlers and he was able to dominate them,” he added.
Sachin Tendulkar
“Probably technically the best batsman I ever saw. The hardest batsman to get out. I think Sachin, technically, didn’t have a weakness. Part of you hoped that he made a mistake,” Michael Clarke said.
Kumar Sangakkara
“Phenomenal. Batted at number three which I think is the toughest position. I think he scored three hundred in a row in a world cup. Sangakkara was a force and an absolute gentleman of the game,” said Michael Clarke.
Jacques Kallis
“The greatest all-rounder that I played against. The impact he had against Australia, the way he was able to score runs against our attack was extraordinary,” Pup said.
AB de Villiers
“I’m hoping he comes back and plays for South Africa again. Superstar. Can bat anywhere in the order. Dominates T20 cricket. He can score runs anywhere around the ground,” said Micahel Clarke.
Virat Kohli
“I think right now the best batsman across all three formats. His one day and T20 records are phenomenal and he’s also found a way to dominate Test cricket. What Kohli and Tendulkar have in common is they love making big hundreds,” Clarke said.
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