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AllFlying |
Beyond
Belinda
With
the recent retirement of Australian cricket captain Belinda Clark, much
interest surrounds the appointment of her successor. Shane Worrell
examines some of the possible candidates.
It is always difficult to cover the loss of a truly great leader
in sporting circles. It is often hard to find a successor that can immediately
provide unrelenting leadership and support to teammates while maintaining
their own individual form.
In the case of Australia's national team, the Southern Stars, the situation
looks even more difficult. Captain Belinda Clark recently retired from
playing the game and has moved into a managerial and developmental role
with Cricket Australia.
Selectors have not rushed to name her replacement, saying an announcement
will be made on the issue before the Indian team arrives here in January.
The loss of Belinda Clark is monumental for the Australian team. Throughout
her career, Clark proved to be not only a superb opener with a full array
of strokes and a superb record, also a world class leader and revolutionary
ambassador for the women's game.
Clark's on-field record is second to none. During her 115 one day internationals
she amassed 4844 runs at an average of 47.49 with a world record highest
score of 229 not out against Denmark. Her 15 tests netted her 919 runs
at 45.95. She led Australia to victory in the 1997 World Cup in India
and again in South Africa earlier this year.
But with Australia losing the recent Ashes series to England for the first
time in 43 years, suggestions have been made that Clark's departure coincides
with the end of Australia's era of dominance.
Clark is one who immediately disagrees with this suggestion.
The outgoing captain remains positive about the future of women's cricket
in both Australia and the wider cricketing world.
"The women's game is heading in the right direction and is a lot
stronger both strategically and operationally than when I first played.
It's really encouraging to see the sport growing, particularly among young
girls, and to see exciting new, young talent coming up through the ranks,"
she says.
Youth or experience
Clark's departure means the Southern Stars must find a replacement
for one of the game's great leaders.
The retired opener, who Cricket Australia's Chief Executive Officer James
Sutherland referred to as "arguably the best female cricketer to
play for Australia", will also leave a big void in Australia's top-order,
giving the selectors further headaches.
It seems Australian selectors can go one of two ways when selecting
a new captain; they can gamble with youth or bank on experience. The selectors
can opt for either an experienced player who may only have a couple of
seasons left at international level or a young player capable of leading
her country for the next decade. Both options though, are not without
their risks.
With Australia on top of the world in the one day game, it would
be easy to underestimate the importance of appointing a captain of high-quality.
However the recent Ashes loss may have served as a timely reminder to
the selectors of the danger of complacency.
Options
The obvious choice for a replacement is vice-captain Karen Rolton.
The left hander has showed that she is a big-time player, taking out player
of the tournament at the recent World Cup in South Africa thanks to some
impressive performances with both bat and ball. Rolton has played in almost
100 one day internationals and has a superb all-round record.
At 31, Rolton still has a number of years ahead of her at the top level
and may be able to bridge the gap between youth and experience in the
Australian side. The Ashes squad that toured England was a mixture of
young and old. Of the 13 members of the squad -not counting Clark- five
were over 30 while six were 25 and under.
The South Australian all-rounder can rightfully claim to be the frontrunner
and will be hard for selectors to overlook.
Experienced fast bowler and world record holder Cathryn Fitzpatrick would
bring an element of experience to the role. The opening bowler is quickly
approaching 100 one day internationals and her wealth of experience would
be invaluable to the younger players. However at 37 years of age, the
Victorian quick is approaching the end of her career and her appointment
as captain could only be seen as a short term solution.
Another possibility selectors may look at is the talented Lisa Keightley.
Keightley is another experienced player with a good record who learned
a lot during the Clark regime. However, at 34 Keightley is also nearing
the end.
If selectors choose to gamble on youth, they may also consider all-rounder
Lisa Sthalekar, who at 26, already has a solid record at the highest level.
Whichever direction the selectors go, Clark will be hard to replace. However,
the selectors have a number of options and can take comfort in kowing
Australia's success in the past decade has been due to the valuable contributions
of many players and not just Belinda Clark.
The experience and expertise Clark has passed on during her time as a
captain and player, suggests the future of Australian cricket may just
be as prosperous as she says.
By Shane Worrell
Nov 2005
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