Michael Klinger Exclusive Interview
5 February 2013
New Gloucestershire Captain, Michael Klinger, has given an exclusive interview to this website from Australia about his career to date and his hopes for the future.
In the first of two parts, Michael talks about his cricketing experiences with his state sides Victoria and South Australia, his International career and his spell in the Indian Premier League.
Can we talk about your early career? You were Australia Under-19 Captain, with a certain Michael Clarke as your vice-captain.
"Yes, I played for Victoria from the age of 15. Back then they had Under-17 and Under-19 sides. I was spotted playing for my state at those levels and the selection for the Aussie Under-19s stemmed from that. I was lucky enough to have three years playing Internationally with that squad. We had a tour to Pakistan and a World Cup in South Africa during that time. I was then chosen as Captain for a tour to England. Michael is a year younger than me and was selected as vice-captain. It was his first year in the Under-19s and my last one. He has done pretty well for himself since!"
In your early days as a senior player with Victoria there was a famous story about your Captain declaring with you on 99. Tell us about that.
"It was only my fifth or sixth first class game for Victoria. We were playing against Tasmania and I was unbeaten on 99 when skipper Paul Reiffel declared so we could have ten minutes bowling at our opponents before lunch. At the time I was 19 or 20 and just happy to be involved. It was my highest score so I was also pleased about that and it was only when I looked back later that I thought it would have been nice to get my century. A lot was made of it and I was inconsistent for a couple of years after it happened, but if I’m honest I don’t think that was the reason."
Your move from Victoria to South Australia in 2008 seemed to spark a major improvement in your form and your career really took off.
"Yes, at Victoria I was playing a fair bit of cricket, but I was in and out of the team depending on whether players like Brad Hodge, Cameron White and David Hussey were representing Australia or not. I would get into the side if they were on International duty and then be forced out again when they came back, so it wasn’t ideal. I was playing one-day and T20 cricket regularly, but I wanted to establish myself as a first class cricketer. The opportunity came up to move to South Australia, which I saw as a great chance to prove myself, and the past five seasons have gone pretty well."
Why did the change work so well?
"For one thing when I was at Victoria I batted in just about every position in the order, although I did open regularly in one-day cricket. When I moved to South Australia it seemed to suit everyone for me to settle in at number three, while still opening in one-day competitions. That certainly helped and in the last couple of years I have either opened or gone in at three in all forms of the game. I also became Captain of South Australia and enjoyed the extra responsibility. I did it for two seasons and then handed over to Johan Botha, who the Club brought over from South Africa. I wanted to keep the job, but the Club decided it would be good to have an International Captain to spread his experience around so I happily stepped down. The opportunity to lead the team at Gloucestershire is something I am really looking forward to."
What are your experiences of the Indian Premier League?
"I played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala after two teams had bid for me in the auction a couple of years back. South Australia Redbacks had qualified for the Champions League and I was lucky enough to perform well in that, which probably led to the interest from the IPL. Unfortunately, while the players all signed two-year contracts with Kochi Tuskers, the team were kicked out of the competition after only one year so I had only one season in the competition. It was a fantastic experience. I played four games alongside the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene. V.V.S.Laxman, Brad Hodge and Brendon McCullum. The chance to learn from the likes of those players was tremendous. We played one game in Delhi in front of a sell-out crowd, which was a fantastic experience. Who knows? One day I might get to go back there."
You were voted Player-of-the-Year in Australia in both 2009 and 2010. That must have been pretty special.
"What made it especially satisfying is that the award is voted for by all the players in Australian first class cricket. We get all the stats put in front of us and make our choice. The winner receives the Allan Border Medal for that year and, of course, the fact that you have been selected for it by your peers is the best thing about it."
You have played for Australia A and were part of their tour party to England last year?
"Yes, I’ve enjoyed playing for Australia A, but at the age of 32 I realise that if someone younger is doing as well as me then he is more likely to be selected. Having said that, I will be looking to perform at the top of my game when I come to Gloucestershire and if more International recognition comes from that then fantastic. I managed to get a decent score against the England Lions at Old Trafford last year to help save the game so the tour ended on a high note for me. It gave me more experience of playing in England. I had played for a Club called Walkden in the Bolton League back in 2003 so I knew a bit about conditions, but every game in a different environment is valuable."
In the second part of this exclusive interview Michael will be looking ahead to the new challenge of leading a young Gloucestershire side into the 2013 season.
