Ashes 2015: Michael Clarke is infuriated with the Australian media

Ashes 2015: Michael Clarke is infuriated with the Australian media: Australian skipper Michael Clarke lashes out at the Australian media after his desire for the game was questioned by many national journalists. Captain Clarke hasn’t been in the best of form and in the six innings of the series so far, the 34-year old has aggregated only 94 runs at a below par average of 19. In the 3rd Ashes Test match against England, the touring team was outclassed by the home side. England won the match by 8 wickets and in only 3 days.

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The fourth Investec Ashes Test match will start from Thursday in Trent Bridge. England leads the Five-match Test series 2-1. Australian skipper Clarke stated in his column in the Sydney Daily Telegraph that, “The criticisms of my game at the moment are deserved and I wouldn’t expect anything different, especially as the captain of the team.”

“But I’ve heard there have been a few articles questioning me for not having that hunger inside me. I think somebody said they could ‘see it in my eyes’ that I was finished after this series. That’s a complete load of rubbish,” he said.

Recently, the Chief Sports Writer of The Sydney Morning Herald Andrew Webster had said that, “With each cheap dismissal is undeniable: it is a blank expression of utter bewilderment. He isn’t annoyed but lost”. While Cricket Writer Peter Lalor for The Australian had indicated that failure in Trent Bridge “spells an almost certain end to his career.”

The under-fire Clarke said that, “People can certainly have a shot at me about my performance, but they can’t have a shot at me about my desire and my will to play this great game. To this day, I’m the first to training and the last to leave, so don’t tell me that I don’t have the desire and the hunger.”

He further asserted that, “I have no intention to walk away from cricket. Chris Rogers waited until 35 years of age to play his second Test. I’m 34 not 37 and I want to keep playing for Australia beyond this series, however I will be judged on performance like everyone else.”

Expressing his pain on such remarks, he added that, “To question me on my hunger kills me, it absolutely kills me, because I pride myself on trying to get better every single day. After 13 years in this team I still think I can improve.”

Reflecting on his Test journey which has spanned for 11 glorious years, Michael Clarke said that, “Under pressure is how I’ve stood up in the past and that’s the challenge I face now. I feel like the one time I got in this series, I declared in the second innings at Lord’s, and I need to have another innings like that where I get in. I just need to find a way through hard work, self-belief and a bit of luck to get to 30 and I think I’ll be in a much different place.”