My Story by Michael Clarke

Author:Michael Clarke [Clarke, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Published: 2016-11-08T05:00:00+00:00

It’s been widely documented that the ‘Big Three’ of India, England and Australia have seized control of cricket’s revenues and the power over scheduling in recent years. When it comes to knowing whether that’s a good thing for cricket or not, it’s too soon for me to say. I prefer to judge it by results. Is the cricket world expanding? Is the game attracting larger audiences to all three formats? Are more children taking cricket up? Is corruption being cleaned up? Is governance improving? Is the standard of pitches and grounds around the world allowing higher quality, more attractive cricket? These are the outcomes I would like to see, so that the game I love is in a better state in the future than when I started.

I am not involved in world cricket politics, so it’s hard for me to speak with inside knowledge about the factors determining the game’s future at that level. Locally, however, I am doing everything I can. In September 2014, I opened the Michael Clarke Cricket Academy to help youngsters achieve their dreams as I had done. Ever since Mum and Dad had their indoor centre, I wanted to provide a facility to give something back to boys and girls, in return for what I had been given. Initially, Kyly and I bought a property in Berrima, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, with a permanent cricket facility in mind. While that project was going through the local government approval processes, the opportunity arose to set the academy up at Scots College in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. The school had first-class facilities and classrooms already set up, a modern gym, ice baths, a very sophisticated infrastructure that we decided to lease. In September, October and January we do five-day live-in camps for kids aged 12 to 18, selected on their abilities from all around Australia and the world, including India, China, Singapore, Dubai and Nepal. On Sunday the young cricketers arrive, then from Monday to Thursday they do skills and fitness training, learn about recovery, stretching and mobility, and have night-time educational sessions on nutrition, media training, public speaking, social media, everything that makes up the life of a professional cricketer. We take them on a tour of the Sydney Cricket Ground, which has their eyes boggling. It’s certainly not just about batting, bowling and fielding. We do a segment on bullying, for them to realise the importance of the way they act around their peers. Their days run from 6 am to 8.30 pm and then, on the Friday, they have a match. We also do single-day clinics at junior clubs around Australia.

It’s something I’m really proud of. Our point of difference is that I am fully involved every day; it’s not just something I lend my name to. My goal is to give them the benefit of my experiences. They have my dad and my assistant Sasha Armstrong overseeing it all, with head coach Ben Sawyer leading a group of coaches who have all helped me in some way through my career.

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