Australian batting coach Di Venuto confident of Michael Clarke's return to form

Can Clarke rediscover his mojo?

Australia’s batting coach Michael Di Venuto has expressed belief that skipper Michael Clarke is due for a big score. The modest former cricketer feels a little time out in the middle with a bit of luck is all that’s required for the batsman to return to his best.

"We'd like him to spend some more time in the middle obviously," Di Venuto said of Clarke, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. “He's pretty set in his ways what he wants to do, he knows how to go about it and how to get himself back to scoring runs. You can't do that in the nets, you've got to do that out in the middle and at the moment, it's not quite happening for him out in the middle. As happens every now and then as batsmen, you go through little patches where things don't quite click. But he's not too far away."

Di Venuto has done an assessment on the reasons why Clarke has been struggling in the two Ashes Tests so far but feels no major changes are required.

"He's had a couple of good starts in the Test matches, a caught and bowled to Moeen Ali up in Cardiff and a 32 not out in the second innings at Lord's - I know circumstances were we were setting up a declaration. He would like some more time in the middle, there's no doubt about that. He's meticulous in his preparation, he's playing well in the nets, he's preparing well, he just needs a bit of luck. I'm sure a big score is not too far away,” Di Venuto said as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

Di Venuto, who was appointed as Australia's batting coach in the summer of 2012-13 has been credited with the tremendous run of form of Steven Smith. Clarke has not made a three-figure knock in any form of the game since scoring a century against India in the Adelaide Test but the coach’s confident that the skipper will also be able to recover his form just like his deputy.

"I thought he looked pretty good in the World Cup final for his 70-odd not out, no difference. And he looked pretty good when he couldn't move when he scored a hundred when his back was no good against India. He's moving around, he seems unrestricted and he hasn't had a problem since, so I certainly don't think that's any reason why he hasn't been able to get a big score of late."

He also dismissed suggestions that the English bowlers had figured out a way to dismiss one of Australia’s greatest ever batsmen.

"We talk regularly like with all the batsmen. Most teams these days and most batters know how people are trying to get them out. There's no secrets running around, their plans are pretty stuck in place, so we work around that and try to combat that. as we do when we bowl, we want to try to push people back and then nick them off with the fuller ball. That's a basic plan the majority of people in world cricket use," Di Venuto said, as reported by the website.