They’ve both played 92 Tests, they are both world-class batsmen and they both scored a hundred on Test debut, in each case away to India. But it’s the differences between England captain Alastair Cook and Australia skipper Michael Clarke that promise to make their personal Ashes battle particularly fascinating when the latest clash between Test cricket’s oldest rival nations starts in Nottingham on Wednesday.
Aged just 28, Cook has already scored more Test hundreds — 25 — than any other England batsman. During drawn series in New Zealand, Cook’s field placings seemed overly defensive when compared to those of home skipper Brendon McCullum.
In the return series against New Zealand earlier this season, England won both matches for a 2-0 series victory.
However, in the second Test in Leeds, with rain forecast, Cook delayed his declaration until New Zealand had been set an improbable 468 to win and then denied off-spinner Graeme Swann some close catchers.
In the end, England dodged the showers and won by 247 runs.
“It is very easy when you are sitting behind the rope to say, ‘I would have pulled out with 350 on the board’,” Cook said afterwards. “You are judged as a captain on results...I think the result vindicates the decisions.”
But former England captain David Gower, writing in the Sunday Times, said: “Those of my generation tend to feel that more can and should be done to add further pressure with more men around the bat — at the right times — and that too often opportunities to do so are allowed to pass.”
Since January 1 last year, Clarke has been in superb form, with a triple hundred against India and three more double centuries. Yet his batting and attacking captaincy could not prevent a series loss to South Africa or a 4-0 hammering away to India, where his backing for coach Mickey Arthur proved divisive.
Clarke also found himself criticised for not spending enough time with his team during the early stages of the tour of England when he was receiving treatment for a longstanding back injury.
The fact that Darren Lehmann has replaced Arthur and that the captain himself is no longer a selector should help Clarke. A poor series with the bat for either captain could affect the morale of their team while, conversely, Australia’s batsmen could do much to ease the burden on Clarke by weighing in with big scores before the no. 5 takes guard.