Clarke shows his mettle in his 166th Test innings Michael Clarke celebrates his century. In a piece about Michael Clarke for the cricinfo website published on Saturday morning, the former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe wrote: "He is so under appreciated by his fellow countrymen, it's not funny." Within hours, Clarke was taking block for his 166th Test innings. On his slight shoulders and dicky back, two issues weighed, neither a crisis, exactly, but both pressing. Ill-executed shots by Chris Rogers and Shane Watson had given England two early wickets and weakened the stranglehold Australia had taken on the first Test on Friday. For all its outward bluster, Australia's cricket self-esteem remains fragile. Then there was the matter of the kink that had developed in Clarke's game when facing fast, short bowling in general, and Stuart Broad in particular. Now the two were as one. The match was at its fulcrum. Predictably, England captain Alastair Cook relieved wicket-taker Chris Tremlett after a single (and fruitful) over to repatriate Broad. His first short ball drew from Clarke a swivelling, sumptuous pull shot for four. The next delivery he helped to fine leg for another four. Two of dozens of boundaries on the day, they seem inconsequential now. In their time, they are as much of a statement as an Andrew Bolt intro. Next, Clarke packed in behind a Jimmy Anderson delivery jagging into off-stump. Seemingly, he was intent only on straight-batted defence, but the ball sped like a pip through mid-wicket and became three runs. Here was the timing that is Clarke's gift. Most batsmen play as if either confronting or resisting the ball. Watson, for instance, knows no other way than this unsubtlety. Clarke at his best makes ball and shot seem a continuation, nature taking its course. From 15 balls, Clarke was 15, oil to momentarily choppy waters. Duly, Clarke turned two figures into three, for the 25th time in Test cricket. Crowe's advice about dealing with short-pitched bowling was to prepare for every ball as if for a straight drive, because that would make sure that he was playing from a stable platform. His talent would allow him to make the necessary judgments and adjustments. In truth, neither Broad nor any England bowler caused Clarke even an awkward moment this day. Broad bowled 23 balls to him, Clarke made 21 runs from them. When Clarke was new at the crease, Cook manoeuvred to keep him on strike, twice yielding singles to deep-set fields. It was a curious and even insulting tactic, treating Clarke as a tailender. It didn't work, and you imagine that if anything, it hardened the Australian captain's heart. Later, England set three on the hook, but Clarke was alert and decisive, and England lost interest in this artifice. For the next three hours, he batted with his flair and fluency of old. His century was as timely as it was well-timed; in 19 innings against England in the two most recent Ashes series, he had passed 50 just three times. It was the glitch on an otherwise imposing record. Australia had all day, but eking is not the modern cricketer's way. Dave Warner's dash is famous, but Clarke outscored him in a partnership of 159 that reaffirmed Australia's grip on this match as surely as Clarke, with his repeated rotation of gloves, made sure of his grip on his bat. One of their subsidiary feats was to neuter off-spinner Graeme Swann, mostly by knocking him off his length. In three overs immediately after lunch, Swann was despatched for 38. When at last he claimed Clarke for his first wicket in the match, he was already 200 runs in arrears. Assuredly, Swann will have better days, but he ought not have in this series the sort of day he had at Lord's in July, when he was a cliff and Australia a herd of lemmings. The tension leached out of the match in the afternoon. England suffered the usual misfortunes of an oppressed team - two blown referrals, two missed chances, a couple of overthrows - and the lower order Australian batsmen went on a run-fest. The psychological advantage in cricket is overrated. In four of the past five Ashes series, the first Test has been misleading, but some feats stand the test of time. Australia' batting remains fragile, and its bowlers cannot be expected always to deliver as they have in this match. As ever, much depends still on Clarke. The last word can be left to Crowe: "He is a treasure and Australia should be damn proud of him. At series end you will see why.