Bash and crash looms large for captain Klinger

BY his own admission, it has been an up-and-down season for new Redback skipper Michael Klinger.

After winning back-to-back State Player of the Year awards in 2008/09 and 2009/10, Klinger’s start to the Sheffield Shield season has been indifferent (231 runs at an average of 21 with just two half-centuries), while his form in the Ryobi Cup has been solid with 322 runs coming at an average of 46.

But with the Christmas break fast approaching, the 30-year-old has one thing on his mind – the Twenty20 Big Bash. After a stunning form reversal that saw Klinger go from Twenty20 outcast to the third highest run-scorer in the Champions League tournament last year, the shortest form of the game, which gets under way on December 30, can’t come quick enough.

“It will be good to get in that sort of mode again; it’s really exciting for us,” Klinger told The AJN.

“We get to play six games this year, which is more than other years, so it’s like another season for us – for five or six weeks. We need to make sure we play in a final and hopefully get some silverware. More importantly, we need to finish in the top two and qualify for Champions League again.”

But there’s no escaping the fact that South Australia has failed to capitalise on its most talented playing group in several years. With the likes of marauding all-rounder and Australian one-day/Twenty20 hopeful Dan Christian, Test quick Peter George, former Test wicketkeeper Graham Manou and Australian one-day dynamo Callum Ferguson, the Redbacks should be better placed.

With just three wins from eight games, the side is out of the hunt for the Ryobi Cup with two games remaining, while in the Sheffield Shield the Redbacks are still in the running despite just one win, four losses and a draw so far.

“With the talent we have as a group we’d like to be higher up on the table in both competitions, because we know we have the talent there and I think our batting, especially in four-day cricket this year, hasn’t been up to task. I’ve got to take a lot of responsibility for that because in the past I’ve scored a lot more runs and so far this year I haven’t been able to do that consistently enough.”

But Klinger denies the captaincy is weighing on him. “I’ve got pretty high expectations of myself, especially after the last couple of years, to score a lot of runs, and so far this year it hasn’t come off as consistently as I’d like. It is a bit disappointing, but I don’t think the added pressure of the captaincy has anything to do with it. I think it’s just a matter of ‘keep doing the hard work and things will turn around’.”

Adding to the Redbacks’ inconsistent season was the abrupt departure of coach Mark Sorrell last week. Sorrell walked out on the club after being told his contract would not be renewed for another season, owing to poor on-field results.

“It’s not something as a group you want to go through, but in terms of what we do on the field, I don’t think it had a huge effect. When you come off the ground, or leading into a game, it’s a little bit different because your coach isn’t there, but once you get out on the field, we’re all mature and professional players and we have to go out and do what we normally do.”

ADAM KAMIEN