Johannesburg (S. Africa), Nov.17 (ANI): Former Australian Test captain Kim Hughes has said that incumbent skipper Clarke could find himself caught in a catch-22 situation as Australia take on the South Africans in the second Test to be played here from today
As he prepares for the must-win second Test against South Africa, starting today in Johannesburg, Clarke is in the unenviable position of having an official say on the careers of the players he leads into battle.
He faces the gut-wrenching prospect of ending his predecessor Ricky Ponting's career after being given added selection powers in the wake of the Argus review into Australian cricket.
"It's the hardest thing for any captain, to make decisions on players you have played with for a long period of time," the Daily Telegraph quoted Hughes, as saying.
He added: "The hardest thing for any leader to do is to say to one of your mates, 'Hey, sorry, your time is up'.
"No one gets accustomed to that. Usually, the understanding was if there was a toss-up between players, the captain often had the final say, particularly on tour when you might have a selector's representative but not the whole panel," Hughes said.
"I know when I was captain you might have a strong opinion on a guy and the selectors would say, 'OK, tell us why' and you'd try and persuade the panel. Michael might not have more of a say than other captains before him, but him being an official selector is the difference," he added.
Clarke was handed selection responsibility as part of the Argus report, which recommended the national panel comprise a full-time chairman, two part-time selectors, plus the coach and captain.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the move threatens to put Clarke on a collision course with his teammates - notably Ponting, Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin, four players who are squarely in the firing line.
On the one hand, Clarke must win the trust of his troops and engender spirit within the inner-sanctum as he presides over the rebuilding of the Australian cricket team.
On the other, he will be asked to provide selection-room critiques that will make or break careers.
Former Test skipper Steve Waugh experienced the crushing conundrum when he was forced to axe struggling opener Michael Slater in 2001.
A gutted Waugh felt like he had Slater's blood on his hands and the pair never fully regained their friendship.
Ponting is likely to retire before he is tapped on the shoulder. But if he opts to dig his heels in and bat on, Australia's greatest Test run scorer will be at the mercy of a selection panel that features Clarke.
Underlining Clarke's increased powers, he was seen on Tuesday beside the Wanderers pitch deep in talks with new selection boss John Inverarity, outgoing chairman Andrew Hilditch and tour selector Troy Cooley.
Clarke said he didn't feel burdened by the added pressures of being a selector.
"I've made it very clear to the guys that part of my job as captain is to be a selector and it's all about the team," he said.
"I make no bones about that. We're going to pick the best XI players, whatever we feel that is. It's not personal. My relationship is important but my job as captain of the team is to help us win games and lead," he added. (ANI)
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