Video taking off 15x its usual first day

Michael Clarke wants Smith at three after Cape Town defeat

His Beyond23 review questions Australia's selections and team unity, while drawing a line between cricket criticism and personal attacks.

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Beyond23 Cricket Podcast Story of November 3, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 74,398 views a day, 15 times a normal first day on this channel (4,868).

Cape Town Collapse! Clarkie’s Third Test Review on Beyond23

Things we can learn from the video

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1:26Clarke calls Cummins' decision to bowl first a mistake given the conditions.
7:05Separate batting and bowling meetings raise Clarke's concerns about team unity.
12:15Smith should bat at three, Clarke argues, because team needs outweigh a player's preferred position.
14:44Clarke praises Inglis' century under pressure before examining Australia's second-innings collapse.
17:27Recurring technical weaknesses against left-arm orthodox spin remain a problem for Australia's batters.
21:28Clarke argues specialist spinners should play except on exceptionally green, seam-friendly pitches.

Separate meetings for batters and bowlers trouble Michael Clarke as much as some of Australia's decisions on the field. "There are two teams in this one team," he says in his Cape Town debrief, questioning whether the side is pulling in the same direction.

The former Australian captain's review of the defeat and series loss to South Africa drew roughly 75,000 views in its first day, against a usual opening of around 5,000 for Beyond23 Cricket Podcast's longer videos. The comments arrived more than twenty times faster than usual, too.

Clarke's argument is specific: Steve Smith should bat at number three rather than four if that is what Australia needs. Preference cannot come before the batting order's balance. "No player is bigger than the game," he says.

He also calls Pat Cummins' decision to bowl first a mistake, questions the selections of Beau Webster and Cooper Connolly, and argues that leaving out Nathan Lyon undermined the side's balance. Australia's recurring difficulties against left-arm orthodox spin receive attention, alongside praise for Josh Inglis' century under pressure and credit for South Africa's decisive partnerships.

That scrutiny comes with a boundary. Clarke asks commentators and former players to remember how difficult Test cricket is, rather than turning tactical criticism into personal attacks on Cummins or Smith. The episode carries TAB sponsorship branding.

Viewers pick up on batting-order flexibility and selection accountability. Others discuss the cost and scheduling of attending Tests in South Africa, extending Clarke's concern about empty seats beyond the action on the pitch. One recalls Clarke's own fighting century against South Africa: this review comes from someone who knows how unforgiving those conditions can be.

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What viewers say

Michael Clarke brings enormous insights into his analysis. I still remember his fighting century against a much better SA bowling attack on a beast of a pitch many years back
@ranganathanv5365See it on YouTube
If common sense was measured in buckets, then Michael Clarke sets a gold standard for buckets of common sense spoken per minute of video
@donaldweir2403See it on YouTube
Finally, Pup speaks. I was waiting. Cummins made a blunder with the toss, but still this game was winnable to either team
@SoxMsomiSee it on YouTube

2 more comments

I'm a fan of this video's format Clarkey. Your opinions and insights as a former captain of Australia is what we are all here for and there is no more important time to have them heard. We can't fail to act this time.
@aorchotikaSee it on YouTube
Like your commentary, man. You are so real and straight.
@shakeelmir941See it on YouTube

Public comments from the video's page on YouTube