I’m not sure what kind of kid Michael Clarke was, but I doubt he was a brawler.
He looks like the sort of smooth adult that was also like Teflon in the play ground.
Perhaps people tried to abuse him, but he probably had team mates from various sporting teams who would step in for him.
Plus the teachers probably kept on eye on their golden boy, don’t want the local cricket star being found dead behind the portables.
With all that in mind yesterday was probably the first real beating he has ever taken.
And he was beaten, hard.
It was public too, while everyone was at lunch, crowded around as Clarke didn’t even try to defend himself.
He just sat there been moved by the force of England’s blows. He was more a punching bag than a fighter.
There was nothing he could do to stop it, so perhaps he thought by hitting himself a few times he might confuse England and gain some respite.
Instead it just made the English beat him up harder.
Finally his lifeless body was put out of it’s misery well earlier than anyone had thought possible.
Battered and bruised he will be returned to Cricket Australia, who may not want him anymore.
I thought Clarke was unlucky, Kieswetter won the man of the match award, but surely no one did more for England’s victory than Clarke did.
The only good news for Australian cricket was that this might mean Australia don’t automatically turn to Clarke when they need their next captain, they might actually look at who would be the best captain, and not just the guy who speaks to media without saying anything and who grooms himself well for photoshoots.
England were nerdishly efficient and brutal on Australia all day. They still had some great luck, dropped catches finding other fielders, Haddin caught of the hip, but surely there biggest slice of luck was that Clarke was playing.
Swann and Collingwood are lucky their team won, because conspiring to get Clarke out could have been the worst thing either of them had ever done.
