BIRMINGHAM, (Reuters) – Michael Clarke conceded his side’s middle-order woes were down to his poor form with the bat and vowed to get among the runs in the last two Ashes tests after Australia lost the third match yesterday to trail England 2-1.
Clarke, dismissed twice by Steven Finn at Edgbaston, is averaging just under 19 for the series with a highest score of 38 and has made only one test century in the last 15 months.
“The captain is due to get off the plane, that’s the plan for the next test match,” he told reporters.
“I can’t put my finger on it. It’s always about my preparation. If I do the hard work, that’s gives me the self-belief. England have bowled well at me and got me out early.”
Australia’s top three of Chris Rogers, the leading scorer in the series on either side, David Warner and Steve Smith have made sizeable contributions.
But Clarke’s indifferent form has been matched by Adam Voges at five, with dropped all-rounder Shane Watson and his replacement Mitchell Marsh also failing to make an impact.
The selection of the 35-year-old Voges for his first Ashes series on the back of scoring heavily in domestic cricket and a memorable test debut has not worked out.
Voges scored a maiden century in June against West Indies but has endured a miserable series in England, averaging a paltry 14.6 with a highest score of 31 in six innings.
“If you bat at four you have to lead the way in scoring runs and if I do then I know Voges will follow,” said Clarke, who could drop down to bat at five in the fourth test at Trent Bridge starting on Thursday.
“My self-belief is still there. The stats show I’ve performed better at five than four. It’s about what’s best for the team.
“I need to turn my form around because at the moment we are playing with 10 players. The number four has not turned up. I need to find a way to score runs. I will prepare hard and keep the faith it will happen in the middle.”
Warner, who top-scored for Australia at Edgbaston with 77 in the second innings, has every confidence that Clarke will bounce back.
“He’s a world-class player. At the moment things are not going too well for him,” Warner said.
“We’ve seen our top order and middle order score plenty of runs before. We have to try and dig deep and be patient.”