Rikki Clarke

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = Rikki Clarke


country = England
fullname = Rikki Clarke
nickname = Clarkey, Crouchy
living = true
dayofbirth = 29
monthofbirth = 9
yearofbirth = 1981
placeofbirth = Orsett
countryofbirth = England
heightft = 6
heightinch = 4
role =
batting = Right-handed
bowling = Right-arm fast-medium
international = true
testdebutdate = 21 October
testdebutyear = 2003
testdebutagainst = Bangladesh
testc

lasttestdate = 1 November
lasttestyear = 2003
lasttestagainst = Bangladesh
odidebutdate = 17 June
odidebutyear = 2003
odidebutagainst = Pakistan
odic

odishirt = 20
lastodidate = 5 September
lastodiyear = 2006
lastodiagainst = Pakistan
club1 = Derbyshire
year1 = 2008
club1 = Surrey
year1 = 2002–2007
clubnumber1 = 9
deliveries = balls
columns = 4
column1 = Tests
matches1 = 2
runs1 = 96
bat avg1 = 32.00
100s/50s1 = 0/1
top score1 = 55
deliveries1 = 174
wickets1 = 4
bowl avg1 = 15.00
fivefor1 = 0
tenfor1 = 0
best bowling1 = 2/7
catches/stumpings1 = 1/–
column2 = ODIs
matches2 = 20
runs2 = 144
bat avg2 = 11.07
100s/50s2 = 0/0
top score2 = 39
deliveries2 = 469
wickets2 = 11
bowl avg2 = 37.72
fivefor2 = 0
tenfor2 = n/a
best bowling2 = 2/28
catches/stumpings2 = 11/–
column3 = FC
matches3 = 87
runs3 = 4597
bat avg3 = 36.48
100s/50s3 = 10/19
top score3 = 214
deliveries3 = 7482
wickets3 = 123
bowl avg3 = 41.69
fivefor3 = 0
tenfor3 = 0
best bowling3 = 4/21
catches/stumpings3 = 107/–
column4 = LA
matches4 = 122
runs4 = 2402
bat avg4 = 25.55
100s/50s4 = 0/12
top score4 = 98*
deliveries4 = 3041
wickets4 = 76
bowl avg4 = 37.78
fivefor4 = 0
tenfor4 = n/a
best bowling4 = 4/49
catches/stumpings4 = 54/–
date = 3 September
year = 2008
source = http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/content/player/11724.html cricinfo.com

Rikki Clarke (born 29 September 1981 in Orsett, Essex) is an English cricketer, currently playing for Warwickshire. He was educated at Godalming College.

Domestic career

urrey

After some fine performances in Surrey's championship-winning Second XI team in 2001, Clarke quickly established himself in the first team the following season. He made an unbeaten 107 in his debut first-class innings, against Cambridge UCCE and also scored 153 not out against Somerset, ending the season 711 runs at an average of over 50. He was awarded the Cricket Writers' Club's Young Cricketer of the Year award and the NBC Denis Compton Award for his achievements in 2002.

His domestic form suffered in 2004 as he could manage a first-class batting average of only 31.17 and just nine wickets all season. His one-day performances were even worse, as he passed fifty just once in 11 innings. In a 50 overs a side match played on the 29th April Clarke hit 82 runs off only 28 balls. It included 9 Fours and 6 Sixes. It helped Surrey get to 494-5 against Gloucestershire.

In the 2007 season, Clarke played only ten first-class matches for Surrey, scoring 301 runs and 15 wickets.cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/346350.html |title=Moving and maturing |author=Andrew McGlashan |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=17 April 2008 Retrieved on 2 September 2008.]

Derbyshire

In October 2007, it was confirmed Clarke had signed for second division Derbyshire as captain for the 2008 season. The move came after it became increasingly difficult for him to secure a place in Surrey's first team. Clarke said of the move: [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/content/story/315825.html |title=Clarke joins Derbyshire as captain |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=17 October 2007 Retrieved on 2 September 2008.]

Clarke hoped that the move to Derbyshire would improve his chance of being selected for England. Despite Clarke's high hopes, he experienced a poor run of form in the 2008 season that led to him quitting the captaincy. When he made his decision, he was averaging 21 with the bat and 38 with the ball from eight first-class matches.cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/content/story/364732.html |title=Rikki Clarke quits as Derbyshire captain |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=12 August 2008 Retrieved on 2 September 2008.] The only first-class half century of his tenure as captain was a score of 81 against Warwickshire in May. [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/engine/current/match/319962.html |title=County Championship Division Two Derbyshire v Warwickshire |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=10 May 2008 Retrieved on 2 September 2008.] At one point, his form was so bad that he dropped himself.

Warwickshire

After an unsuccessful year at Derbyshire, Clarke signed a three-year deal with Warwickshire in September 2008. Warwickshire had been interested in Clarke for a long time and Ashley Giles, Warwickshire's director of cricket, said: [cite web |url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/content/story/367374.html |title=Clarke leaves Derbyshire for Warwickshire |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=2 September 2008 Retrieved on 2 September 2008.]

International career

Some more good performances in the early part of 2003 brought Clarke his England debut, for the One Day International against Pakistan at Old Trafford. Although he took a wicket with his first ball in ODIs (the first Englishman to achieve this feat for three decades) he had a poor match overall, being bowled behind his legs for a duck after playing a totally misjudged sweep and conceding 41 runs from his 7.2 overs. He was retained for the rest of the summer's ODIs despite a total of just three wickets and a high score of only 37.

A groin injury to Andrew Flintoff led to Clarke being drafted into the squad for the 2003/04 tour of Bangladesh and on this tour he made his Test debut, at Dhaka. An undistinguished match was followed by a better performance at Chittagong where he made 55 in the first innings and a quickfire 27 from 16 balls in the second helped set up England's match-winning declaration. He also picked up three wickets, returning a notable analysis of 7-4-7-2 in the Bangladeshis' first innings. He played in only the first of the ODIs against Sri Lanka, a disastrous ten-wicket defeat, and was not selected for any other international games on that tour.

At the end of that winter, England toured the West Indies, and Clarke was picked for five of the seven ODIs. He failed completely, not reaching double figures in any of his four innings and taking 3-108 from the 18 overs he was allowed. By the time the tour finally finished in early May, Clarke's international career looked in serious jeopardy, but he was given one more chance by injuries to Flintoff and Marcus Trescothick early in the summer of 2004. Clarke was included for the Leeds ODI against the West Indians, but another failure (conceding 30 runs from four overs) followed, and the selectors had seen enough: Clarke was dropped and has not played for England since.

He enjoyed a better 2005 however, and earned a trip to the Academy.

However in 2006 his luck changed. After averaging 64.66 [including a career best 214] he was drafted into England's one-day squad to play Pakistan. Despite a decent 39 in difficult conditions at Lords he failed with the bat only scoring 45 runs in 3 matches. Like in the West Indies he bowled poorly, overall conceding 64 runs of 10.5 overs with only 1 wicket. He was included in the 2006 Champions Trophy but didn't play. He also failed to make the England 'A' tour.

Thought to be a big talent, Clarke has so far failed to perform to the level expected by his admirers.

References

External links

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