ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA // Michael Clarke, the out-of-form Australia stand-in captain has been given the support of selector Greg Chappell following a week in which the batsman has come under increased scrutiny in the media.
Clarke has endured a barren Australian summer with the bat during which he has passed 50 just once to raise questions about his place in the side.
His priorities were also questioned in the local media this week when he was criticised for using his Twitter page to find Steven Smith, his teammate, a date for the Allan Border Medal next month.
But despite his detractors Clarke has led Australia, in the absence of Ricky Ponting, to a 3-0 lead in the one-day international (ODI) series against England.
Clarke will therefore have the chance to deliver Australia's first series win in any format since last March when they meet England in tomorrow's fourth match in Adelaide.
"We have a lot of reasons to support him at this time," Chappell said in the Sydney Morning Herald.
"We've been delighted with his leadership. His captaincy in the first three games has been excellent.
"His strategies, bowling changes, everything that he's done - not least winning matches - has been good, and I'm sure that will only be good for him."
Chappell admitted Clarke's form with the bat had been a concern, but expects him to rediscover his best form during the World Cup which starts on the subcontinent on February 19.
"We are pretty confident that Michael Clarke will repay us the same way," he added.
"I believe he has got through to the end of the World Cup to sort it out and we are confident he well and truly will have it sorted before then."
Clarke welcomed Chappell's support and is determined to prove his doubters wrong.
"It's very positive, it's nice," he said.
"I've had a lot of support from a lot of people over the last couple of months which is very nice and that helps.
"A lot of people who support me don't have a story written about them.
"I know I've got a lot of supporters and fans out there who continue to get behind me.
"I'm confident that if I keep doing the hard work things will change."
Clarke brushed off the criticism levelled at him this week, saying he was focused only on helping Australia return to winning ways following a summer otherwise dominated by England.
"It [criticism] is part of the business. It's been a great week for Australian cricket more importantly," he added.
"We've played some exciting, positive cricket and I've enjoyed having the opportunity to lead the boys.
"I'd like to lead from the front with the bat and make some more runs, I'm well aware of that, but everyone is in good spirits and we believe there is a lot of room for improvement.
"Don't get me wrong, I wish it [the criticism] wasn't there. I wish you never had to face any scrutiny but with our job it's part of what we do.
"The most important thing for is that we are winning.
"Individual scrutiny comes and goes, at the moment I'm copping a little bit of stick."
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Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- 600-seat auditorium
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
Labour dispute
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- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
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