Clarke wanted his x-factor players – Faulkner, Maxwell, Warner, Starc, Smith – to get on stage and show the world how good they were.
Michael Clarke file image. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)
Recalling the glory of 2015 ODI World Cup, Australia’s then skipper Michael Clarke said he had permitted every player in the team to “play with freedom” throughout the whole tournament.
“My message throughout the whole tournament was ‘play with freedom’,” Clarke told cricket.com.au as quoted by IANS.
The former Australian skipper wanted his x-factor players – James Faulkner, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith – to get on stage and show the world how good they were.
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“The thing about the squad we picked is we had so many superstars who wanted to be on the big stage. There was a lot of big egos on the team and they wanted the bigger game, bigger crowd, bigger moment.
“For me it was about our training and preparation being so important because then all I wanted to do was allow these x-factor players – Faulkner, Maxwell, Warner, Starc, Smith – these superstars to get on stage and show the world how good they are, and that’s what happened.
“Those young x-factor players won us that World Cup because they wanted to shine on the big stage, but they did the hard work to allow them to shine on the big stage. Us older farts, we just sat back and clapped. They were unbelievable, brilliant,” he added.
Getting an invitation to field first, the Australian bowlers wreaked havoc on the Kiwi batters in the final match of the 2015 World Cup and bundled them out for mere 183. Johnson and Faulkner claimed three wickets apiece, while Starc, the Man of the Tournament, scalped two.
The paltry target didn’t trouble the Aussies and they eased past New Zealand with seven wickets in hand and as many as 101 balls to spare, courtesy Clarke (74) and Smith (56*).
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