“Hitting this on the head”: Michael Clarke returns to the air
Michael Clarke appeared with co-hosts Laurie Dailey and Gerard Middleton on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast, less than one week after footage of an incident with his girlfriend in Noosa was made public.
In what was Clarke’s first radio appearance of the year, Middleton wasted no time in stressing to keen listeners that they considered the altercation to be a private matter, and that they would not be addressing it on the show.
“We’re just hitting this on the head straight away,” Middleton announced, “it’s a private matter that Clarkey’s obviously been dealing with - a very, very private matter which unfortunately was made public.
“There’s a lot of factors in play here and Clarkey’s made his statement last week and due to all the factors in play we are moving forward on The Big Sports Breakfast this morning.”
Despite this, the hosts couldn’t help themselves from making reference to Clarke’s hamstring injury - one sustained on January 10, with footage showing him limping and claiming that he had “done my hammy” outside of a Noosa restaurant.
“I want to ask you,” Middleton began, “you showed us before, that bruise on your hamstring, that is incredible mate. You won’t be able to walk properly for weeks.”
Clarke was quick to downplay the comment, assuring Middleton that he was prepared for “game day”, telling him, “nah, it’s fine buddy. It’s on the mend, I’m good to go. I’m ready, game day, good to go, on the mend.”
The former cricketer and his co-hosts stayed true to their word, “moving forward” from there to discuss Australia’s summer of cricket, with Clarke even revealing that he had been approached about commentating for the Pakistan Super League. However, it remains unclear whether or not he will stay on as a commentator for Australia’s upcoming India Test series.
The comments made during the radio show were the first public statements of any kind since Clarke apologised last Wednesday for the public upset, when he told The Daily Telegraph, “I accept full responsibility for this altercation and am shattered by my actions.”
A spokesperson for the company behind Sky Sports Radio, who produce Big Sports Breakfast, appeared to support the show’s decision to keep quiet, stating that “the company doesn’t comment on the personal matters of its employees.”
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