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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUPMarch 4, 2015Michael ClarkeDavid WarnerPERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Q. How do you describe this innings, especially when the double century was there? Are you disappointed that you couldn't reach it or you were happy with what you played? DAVID WARNER: No, I'm not disappointed at all. I went out there to try and score some runs and I managed to do that once the concrete shoes came off. No, it was good to get a great total on the board and obviously the bowlers doing their job at the end there. Q. David, the Afghan bowlers seemed to begin quite well in the initial overs, but then either you attacked them very strongly or they lost their line and length. How do you rate their bowling today? DAVID WARNER: I thought that the way they came back, not sure what the guy's name is, but he got up to about 140, 145 clicks and he was bowling yorkers, and it surprised me a little bit. But yeah, I thought he bowled pretty well there towards the end, that powerplay, and he executed a couple yorkers and a couple yorkers weren't executed. Look, we're just on our day; we were pretty good today. Q. Michael, what do you take out of this win against an associate member? What are the positives you're going to take out of this game? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think it's nice to turn our form around after New Zealand, especially with the bat, I thought the boys played really well to make 400, our highest World Cup score ever. That's very satisfying and really pleasing after the way we batted against New Zealand. I think there's obviously some outstanding individual performances, David Warner obviously led the way with that and Steve Smith played around Davey, Glenn Maxwell. I thought they all played really well to get that record, and then once again, we come out and bowled and fielded really well. I think that side of our game seems pretty consistent and we have to continue to bowl and field the way we are. Like I say, it's a real positive to be able to turn things around with the bat so quickly. Q. Was it a tough decision for yourself to not bat today? MICHAEL CLARKE: Well, there's no doubt I wanted to bat, but I thought it was in the best interest of the team. I kept my pads on. I was in next until about 11 overs to go or 12 overs to go. And I thought there was an opportunity for us to really have a crack at that world record for us, for the Australian team in World Cup. Yeah, the decision was based on what was best for the team. Q. And the decision this morning for Shane Watson to miss out, it's obviously a big decision for a guy who's been in the side for as long as Shane has. How did he sort of handle that and how did the team handle that? MICHAEL CLARKE: I thought Watson handled it really well. It's obviously a tough decision for the selectors, but I thought the way he contributed still today, he had a really good hit in the nets today, so he's been fantastic around the group all day. Q. On that subject, are you confident that that batting lineup that you took out there today is strong enough to go through the World Cup? MICHAEL CLARKE: I've said before, it's going to take all 15 of us to have success in this World Cup. I think the selectors have made pretty clear that that's the 11 they've picked for this opposition, and I'm sure they'll do the same for Sri Lanka at the SCG. Whatever 11 the selectors give me, my job is to get the best out of them, and I'm confident with every player in this squad. If they get an opportunity, they'll grab it with both hands and they'll help the team have success. Q. Michael, this is the third time that 400 has been breached in this tournament. We've seen a number of big scores already. Why do you think in this year that we've seen such huge one-day totals? Does it sort of mess with your understanding of one-day cricket? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think the fact that you only have four fielders out instead of five fielders makes a massive difference, and I think the fact you've got two brand new balls means you're hitting a much harder cricket ball the whole way through your innings. They're probably the main two reasons. I think Twenty20 cricket in general has helped a lot of players in regards to power, as in hitting fours and sixes, but also hitting balls to different areas. I think Glenn Maxwell was a great example of that today. You've seen obviously Davey, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, they hit 360 degrees, and with only four fielders out with a hard white cricket ball, it's pretty sort of hard to stop those sort of guys on their day. Q. Michael, do you feel like you know your best pace attack at the moment because it seems like there's a lot of competition, a lot of bowlers, a lot of the quicks all doing really well. MICHAEL CLARKE: I think all the quicks we've got in the squad are fantastic. Like I say, it's going to depend on what 11 the selectors give me. They make that decision, then my job is to try and work out what the best combinations are against the team we're playing in the conditions we're playing to have success. An example of that is Hazlewood and Starc bringing the bowling today and Johnson bowling first change against New Zealand, Johnson opening the bowling with Starc. It'll depend on what 11 players and what attack I'm given, I guess, for me to try and communicate as well as I can with those guys, with the bowlers. I guess the luxury I have is they're all open to doing whatever is best for the team. I love that about this side. I feel with both bat and ball that guys are willing to go up and bat at four, five, six, whatever it is, bowl first change, not bowl at all. I think that's a real important luxury to have, and I'm very lucky I've got that with this team. Flexibility, definitely. Q. There's a lot of talk about the associates playing in the World Cup and the possibility of next time cutting it down. What are your thoughts on the associate teams in this World Cup and the level of competitiveness that they've so far exhibited? MICHAEL CLARKE: I got asked that question the other day. Look, I guess I can only give you my personal view. How the next World Cup is run is completely up to the ICC and I'm sure they'll make the right decisions for that. My personal view is I love seeing as many people, as many countries playing in major tournaments as possible. I think it's great for the sport. I think this is a wonderful opportunity today for us to play against Afghanistan for both teams. You know, I'm all about trying to grow the game as much as we possibly can. I think that's a big part of our role as professional athletes is to try and grow the sport so once you leave the game you can sit back and look at how much the game has improved while you've been involved in it. As many boys and girls playing cricket as possible in any country in the world is what I would love to see, so the more opportunity these countries get in major tournaments I think is -- well, it can only be a positive for the game of cricket. Q. Dave, there was an unfortunate event where you hit that six and hit the little boy in the shoulder. What went through your mind, and a message for him at all? DAVID WARNER: Yeah, I didn't realise until I saw it on the big screen. I gave him a pair of gloves and signed them and I just had a little quick chat there with him and his father, and he's a bit better now. He had a little bit of a bandage on him, but I said I hope he gets well. Didn't have much to say, though. Q. Michael, how do you look forward to Sri Lanka? You've had quite a rivalry and both teams are coming into form. How do you look forward to that game? MICHAEL CLARKE: Yeah, I think they're going to be a really tough team to beat. They like the Sydney Cricket Ground and they're playing some really good cricket. They've got experience, and I think that's always an important part of a good team in major tournaments. I think if you've got some players that have been involved in World Cups before, I think that gives you a good advantage, and I think Sri Lanka have certainly got a few of those players and they're in really good form, like you said. I think we're all excited about it, though. I know there's already some talk in the changing room now about this team, we always look forward to that challenge. New Zealand was exactly the same. We were up for that game and we were excited. We trained really well in the lead-in. Unfortunately we got beaten on the day. Sri Lanka we're the same; the boys will be really excited about getting to Sydney. We love playing at the SCG, and yeah, it's going to be a tough game. It's obviously an important game for both teams. It's going to be a great challenge. Q. Michael, just on Mitch Marsh, the final ball of his second over he kind of pulled up a bit short there and he only bowled one more over after that. What was he battling and is he going to be okay for Sri Lanka? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think he'll be fine, yeah. I think it was something to do with his boot. I asked him if he was all right and he said, I'm completely fine. It was more about he was coming on, Mitchell Johnson was going to bowl one more over and then he was going to have another bowl this evening. Just didn't pan out that way, but he's completely fine. Q. I was going to ask you about batting. When David Warner got out, there were about 75 balls left. The way the hundreds are being made lately, 38 balls and 32 balls, do you think 300 in one-day is possible or is it a far-fetched thought? MICHAEL CLARKE: Is 300 possible on his own? Q. No, any batsman. He was out at 178 with 75 balls left, and the way the runs are being scored in the death overs, do you think 300 is a possibility, or it's a far-fetched thought? MICHAEL CLARKE: I can guarantee you I cannot make 300 in a One-Day International but someone like Davey or Chris Gayle or AB de Villiers on a smaller ground, I think they possibly could. You'd probably have to open the batting, say you've got the full 50 overs. In this game at the moment, who knows. We're seeing so many different shots, different deliveries, so much power. I think, yeah, there's a handful of players around the world that probably could do it. Hopefully it's one of the Australians, not somebody against Australia that goes out and makes 300, but I certainly couldn't make 300 in a One-Day International, that's for sure. Q. Michael, just going back to Shane this morning, was it a case of experimenting with the side for today, or is it going to be difficult for him to get back into the side given the matches coming up? MICHAEL CLARKE: That's a question for the selectors. I can't answer that. I'm sorry. I don't know the answer to that. Q. Michael, as a professional, perhaps a perfect game for you would be extremely one-sided, but as a cricketer do you enjoy a closer game, a more evenly contested game, or this kind of a game? MICHAEL CLARKE: I enjoy winning. I don't care if that's by one run or that's by 400 runs. Don't get me wrong, I think there's been a number of games in my career in both test and one-day cricket where we haven't got the result we would like, but it sticks in my mind. 2005 Ashes, for example, was one of the most amazing Test series I've ever been a part of and we didn't win that. The one-dayer in New Zealand the other day was an amazing game to play. I wish we had have won, but we got beaten there, as well. I think, yeah, as an Australian cricketer, your goal is to do whatever it takes to try and help your team win, but I think part of the game is also accepting that you're not going to win every single time. There's going to be some days that you lose, and I think it's about respecting those days, the opposition, and I think the other day against New Zealand was a really good example of that. It was entertaining, exciting cricket from both teams, really attacking cricket from both teams. Yes, we would have loved to have won, but I think for the crowd and for the people that watch at home, I think they love seeing those sort of games, as well. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy today. I think you've seen some of the most amazing batting from a few of the Australian players. You've seen some really good fastbowling, and I think it was a great opportunity for both Australia to play against Afghanistan and the other way, as well, to have Afghanistan to have the chance to face Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson and bowl to David Warner. That doesn't happen all the time for them, and I'm sure they'll have plenty of memories of today. Q. We're sort of coming into the bigger games now of the tournament. Do you feel like you can use today's innings as a bit of a platform to really kick on now? DAVID WARNER: Yeah, hopefully not the first five overs. But it's another game. Obviously got to get yourself back in again. Back at the SCG, I like playing there. For all of us, we've got to take as much out of this game as possible. It's always good to get out in the middle. I thought the practice wickets were quite challenging the other day, so it's good to get out in the middle there and score some runs back at home and playing against Sri Lanka. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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