Published: Feb 19, 2016, 03:37 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 19, 2016, 03:44 AM (IST)
With all injury concerns and back problems now part of the past, former Australian captain Michael Clarke is all gearing up to his first cricket match since The Ashes 2015. Clarke will for Western Suburbs in a two-day grade match starting Saturday, Clarke now 34, claims that all his back troubles which included pinched nerves and bulging disc are now part of history and he has not felt this better since long. But somethings never change as Clarke tells,”Come Saturday I will be just as nervous as when I walked out to bat for Australia.” ALSO READ: Michael Clarke to make his cricket return with Twenty20 format in focus
“My nerves or pressure that I put on myself does not change whether I am playing for Australia, NSW or Western Suburbs,” Clarke said to Sky Sports Radio. “That’s a big part of what you miss when you walk away from the game. There’s nothing like walking out to bat,” he added.
Clarke further stated, “That feeling sometimes make you sick in the stomach. When you are in it you look forward to it ending and when it is taken away you do miss it.” Clarke did mention that his come back will not be easy as he has struggled to get off the square. It can said it is not hard to guess the number of times Clarke played international cricket without discomfort. “I hate saying this because you are always asking for trouble but I can’t remember a time in my career when it felt this good,” he said.
“Definitely time away from cricket has helped me. It doesn’t mean I will walk out on the field and not have pain. (But) I am looking forward to getting out there,” Clarke explained.
Clarke concluded that a successful return to grade cricket, could help in his Twenty20 comeback and play many T20 leagues worldwide. “If that (grade return) goes well and when I am actually out there I miss it as much as I think, my focus will be on the shorter format,” Clarke concluded.
