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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUPMarch 25, 2015Michael ClarkeSYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES MICHAEL CLARKE Q. One, have you got a team? If you don't, will you know when you do? MICHAEL CLARKE: No, we don't have a team. Rod Marsh is on a flight as we speak, so he arrives into Sydney while we're training, so we'll come and obviously speak to us, and we'll get the 11 after that, I'm sure. Q. From that day when you got injured to the recuperation, to two matches away from winning that title, how big is this occasion for you? MICHAEL CLARKE: I haven't thought too much about it to be honest, not like that anyway. Yeah, look, I think I wrote in my column yesterday that as big as this event is to every cricketing nation and to the people that support the game of cricket, as a player, it's no different to any other game. I think you don't do yourself justice if your attitude changes because of the event. I think every time I've walked out on to the field as an Australian cricketer I've wanted to perform individually and help the team have success and that will be no different in this game. But really, it's no different. I can't try any harder. I can't train any harder. That won't help me have success. So I think our focus as a team has been for the last couple of years has been the consistency of preparation which has given us the consistency of performance. So nothing changes. Our preparation has been the same for every game, no matter what position we've played. Obviously the research you do is on each team, so you know your opposition. But from our side of things, it's about trying to prepare three days out, two days out, day before, and then give yourself a chance to go and play your best cricket. So, look, it's a wonderful opportunity, but every time we walk out on to the field for Australia is extremely special, and tomorrow will be no different. Q. The team is doing very well. If there is a problem, I think it's a problem of plenty. A lot of people are thinking that some other people could have gotten a chance. When you came on to the team there was some comment that perhaps that was disrupting the balance of the team. How do you look at that? MICHAEL CLARKE: Everybody's entitled to their own opinion. I've played over 200 One Dayers now for Australia, and I think my record stacks up against just about anyone. So, yeah, for me it's about making sure I perform with the bat and also as captain of the team. Q. There's been talk about the pitch. How important is that role? Some say spins, some say bounds, what do you feel about that? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think the SCG in general is a really good wicket. I think it's normally even for both batting and bowling. So I think the fast bowlers will hopefully get a little swing and a little bounce out of that wicket. Then as always I think spin will play a part in the Sydney Cricket Ground, but it's generally as good a place to bat as anywhere in the world. So I'm confident this game will be no different. It will be a challenge. India have a very good bowling lineup. A good mixture of spin and fast bowling. We've obviously had success with that attack through this tournament. So the batters are as well prepared as we can be for what we're going to face, and now we have to go out and execute. Q. Was there any concern that the toss will be crucial? MICHAEL CLARKE: I don't think so. I think -- yeah, I think whatever you do first, anytime, whatever you've got to do you have to do it well, whether we happen to bowl first or bat first, I don't think it matters too much in a One Day game. Yeah, sometimes wickets in Australia can be batter to bat on second because you get a little bit of the due, so the wicket quickens up, the outfield quickens up. Then there is the other side that people always talk about, runs on the board in big games. So we're doing them both at some stage. We've got to do them well. Q. You, Shane Watson, and Mitchell Johnson have all played in major tournament finals. I think eight of the Indians are likely to play tomorrow have. Do you think experience in those occasions makes any kind of difference in these kind of games? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think experience in big games makes a difference, yeah. I think in any sport the best balanced team has a mixture of that. It has the experience, but it also has the youth as well, and I'm really confident that our squad has that. I think every single one of those players in there has been a part of some big tournaments through their career. You have some older players that have played in World Cups and had success in World Cups, and you've got some youngsters with unbelievable talent, no fear at all, and look forward to what is thrown at them tomorrow in a semifinal of the World Cup. Q. David warn would risk being suspended for the quarterfinal. There's been talk that David's not talking quite as much on the field? Have you noticed that to make sure he doesn't get rubbed out for a knockout game? MICHAEL CLARKE: I haven't noticed one difference in David. Q. Is it a concern at all? MICHAEL CLARKE: David will be fine. He knows the rules, as we all do, and his rules are no different than the rest of ours. Q. How do you think the rest of the team will respond to pressure? Because some people think the pressure may be too much for Australia as favorites at home? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think we're about to find out. I think you've seen the way the guys handled it throughout the tournament. The way the boys played against Pakistan in the finals was extremely pleasing. Expectations there because we're the No. 1 One Day ranked team in the world. The reason you have that expectation on you is because you've performed. I think individually you feel that on a day to day basis as an international sports man. So to me there's been a lot of talk about pressure and expectation, but that's what comes with the role of playing cricket at the highest level of playing and playing sport at the highest level. There is no greater expectation than what you put on yourself. You want to perform at the highest level. You want to perform against the best. I think the boys will be fine. Q. You made the drum of last night's game and the fact that New Zealand made it to the final. It just shows how tense the fine margins are in the semifinal that you're going to play now? MICHAEL CLARKE: Yeah, obviously, I'm really happy for New Zealand and obviously Brendon, and obviously feel for South Africa. It was an unbelievable game to watch. I think it was great for cricket. Yeah, look, whoever qualified or won that game deserves to be in the final. They've both been exceptional teams. Over the last four months, New Zealand and South Africa, New Zealand and India, obviously finished top of their draws, and they've played really good cricket throughout this tournament. So I wish Brendon and the New Zealand team all the best in the final, no matter who they play against. Q. What are some aspects of the game that you think your team has to do tomorrow to succeed? If you can take a critical look at your own side, what do you think that India should do to get the upper hand, if you will? MICHAEL CLARKE: We have to score one more run than India. Q. India fans, are you worried they might outnumber Australian fans tomorrow? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think it's a no-brainer. I think we know they will. Q. How will you cope with that? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think it's fine. We've played in India a number of times and they outsupport us there as well. It's a fantastic feeling to have the opportunity to play in your own backyard and to play in Australia. There are not too many better grounds in the world than the Sydney Cricket Ground. It's very special to every Australian team to be fortunate enough to walk out on to the ground. It's got extra special meaning to the players in our changing room. We don't need anymore motivation. We know we've got the support of the Australian public. We've felt it the whole tournament, and we'll feel it again tomorrow whether it's 30% of the fans here or 50% of the fans. Indian fans in general, I think, are wonderful supporters of the game. I think they want to see great cricket and they want to see their team win. But they also respect good, entertaining cricket, and I really hope we can provide that tomorrow for them. Q. It's gotten to the stage of the tournament now where casual sports fans are suddenly waking up to the fact there is a World Cup. So for those people can you describe what the atmosphere is like out in the middle of an Australian-India game as big as this? MICHAEL CLARKE: Well, it's the World Cup for the One Day side of cricket. It doesn't get any bigger. The fact we're playing India now is extremely special. Through my career they've always been extremely hard teams to beat whether you play in India or in Australia. So, again, you've got to walk out on that field and give your all, and give your best, and the result always takes care of itself. Like I said, I think you'll see two teams at the top of their game wanting to play their best cricket, which will be entertaining cricket. So I think for the viewers that watch on television all around the world or the people that are lucky enough to come and watch the game, I'm really confident both teams will put on a great show, and I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of support for both teams. Q. No more than normal? MICHAEL CLARKE: I don't think so. There is always a lot of talk about, doesn't matter who we're playing about, there is going to be talk Australian team versus somebody. There is going to be sledging, there is going to be BANTER. It's really important for us to focus on what's important, and that is playing our best cricket. It's not what you say, it's what you do. Q. Aggression is a trademark of Australian cricket teams whether it's with the bat, ball, on the field or with the voice. Is tomorrow going to be any different? Is it going to be the trademark, aggressive Australia we'll see? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think we'll do whatever we have to do to play our best cricket. Like I said, it's not what you say, it's what you do. Q. Do you reckon that this is the biggest game for you and your team on their home soil? How excited or how nervous are you for this match? And how much inspiration will it be playing here? MICHAEL CLARKE: Yeah, I don't know. I've been very lucky to play in some big games and big tournaments as Australian player and Australian captain. So I don't think it's the right time to compare it to anything else. It is going to be a very special game, there is no doubt about it. We love playing at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as do India. It has extra special meaning because of what's happened in the past few months. But World Cup semifinal, you don't need more motivation. We want to have success. Every time we walk on the field we want to win as an Australian cricketer. Tomorrow will be no different, but we're going to have to be at our best to beat India. Q. Cast your mind back to when the ODI playing condition changed, four man out and two new balls, do you think that's been good for the Australian team in terms of the way the Australian team plays, and do you think it's been good for One Day Cricket in general? MICHAEL CLARKE: Can you ask me that question in a week's time? I think our game has changed because the conditions have changed. So we've been able to -- the Australian team has been able to adapt to the new conditions, as I think all the teams around the world have that we've seen throughout this tournament. There are probably a couple things that I'd like to see change, but I don't think now is the right time to talk about those. I think the most important thing is the people watching are getting to see some really entertaining One Day Cricket, which is great for the One Day format, and that's not necessarily making 375 or 350 runs. I think some of the games have been -- think back to the game we played against New Zealand, a lot of scores, some really classy bowling, the game against Pakistan was a lot tighter than probably what the scoreboard showed from some great bowling. Yeah, like I said, there are probably a couple areas I'd like to see change in One Day Cricket for the betterment of the game. I think right now that's entertaining, and I think it's probably a question for the people that watch the game as well as the people that play it. People that are happy with what the format is and think it's entertaining, it's a big part of why we do what we do. Q. It's much more important to chase wickets in a way, because if you don't, you could be in trouble? MICHAEL CLARKE: I think that's been my mindset in any form of the game, Test Cricket, T20 cricket and One Day Cricket. I think my captaincy style is bowling opposition teams out, and when you bat scoring runs, people say bat for time. I say bat for runs. If you make runs, hopefully you can spend the whole day there making them. So I think that's probably more my style in the game than allowing it to dictate itself. Yeah, we play our best when we're trying to bowl opposition teams out. Q. This Indian team looks absolutely different from what you played against them in the Tri Cities and also against them in the warm-up matches. Do you have any concern about India being the big match team and also the way they are now growing as a team? Their attitude has changed a lot on the Indian team? MICHAEL CLARKE: They look exactly the same to me. They're just playing some really good cricket. I think that's probably the most important message of this great game. It doesn't necessarily matter who the person is that's bowling the ball. That's actually irrelevant. It's about seeing that white ball and adapting to what comes out of that hand. Doesn't matter if it's Mitchell Johnson running in, or Dale Steyn, or Shane Warne. It's irrelevant who is bowling the ball. I think if you can focus on what comes out of that hand and react to that, then you give yourself the best chance of having success, and the same when you're bowling. Who you're bowling to is irrelevant. We do enough work to make sure we know our opposition really well. We've played a lot of cricket against India. We know their strengths. We know their weaknesses, and we know they're a very good team. We have to execute our skills as well as we possibly can, and if we do that, I have confidence that we can beat any team we play against. Q. India have been visiting the SCG for a long time and they've only had the one test meet and one ODI win in all those years. I know that doesn't sort of mean that much for tomorrow. But why do you think the Australian teams you've been playing against have been so successful on this ground? And does the length of India's tour make that stat even more relevant? MICHAEL CLARKE: I have absolutely no idea. I thought they would have had a better success rate at the SCG than that, so that does surprise me. But it probably does show how Australia loves playing in their own backyard. It's no different when we go to India. It's one of the hardest places in the world to win. You take the same two teams into different conditions and things change. That is a part of home ground advantage. But I said at the start of this tournament that I thought India were going to be one of the toughest teams to beat. My main reason for that is because they've been in the conditions for so long. They've played so much cricket in Australia. They've worked out how to take wickets. They've worked out how to score runs, and they've shown that through this tournament. I think MS Dhoni deserves a lot of credit for the way he's captained his team especially being defeated in the test series and the Tri-Series to be able to turn things around. Obviously they're at the top of their game at the moment. So we're prepared for that. We know we're playing against a very good team that obviously won the last World Cup. We look forward to that challenge. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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