On the opening day of the 3rd test versus England, it was Australian captain Michael Clarke who worked his team into a head start in the Ashes campaign.

The match began with Australia winning the toss and pegging 303-3 at Old Trafford. This gave the Aussies an impetus to win and reinstate their victory at Ashes after trailing England 2-0.

Clarke was ingenious in putting together everything he knew about spin bowlers, taking advantage of off-spinner Graeme Swann. Despite the rivalry between Swann and Clarke, he posted his first century by an Australian in as he posted the first century by any Australian in six Tests, BBC reported.

As usual, the series has been overshadowed by controversies hovering around ambiguous umpiring as both England and Australia sought to with both teams given reason to bemoan the decision review system.

One example of this was Usman Khawaja’s ruling him out, despite a review showing no markings on bat. You can tell the controversial umpiring was not a welcome decision when Aussie Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made his own call on Twitter against the decision made after the Hot Spot check.

Clarke is a symbol of tranquility for his team. He is calm, and reveals his need to maintain a profile picture of calm. He is characterized by his purposefulness of focus in each line of defense or attack. He has gone down the line, between the ground and put the ball over Swann for a four.

Incidentally, David Warner returned from suspension for punching England’s player, Joe Root. With Clarke's superb line up of batting, it helped because it made Warner feel more comfortable on the pitch. It helped to ease`` also helped ease the pressure on David Warner,” who appeared to be nervously fidgeting on the team balcony. This was his first since he was suspended for punching England's Joe Root.