The position of Michael Clarke's bat, not his batting position, is the problem.

He and the Australia Test team he captains would be much better off if he put all his attention into correcting the former in time for Trent Bridge, rather than tinkering with the latter in order to return him to the more pleasant surrounds of No.5 for the tail-end of the Ashes.

Clarke's batting woes are not a symptom of being dragged to the centre, because of early wickets, against a new ball he is unaccustomed to facing. They are a symptom of him missing or edging deliveries he would have handled if not with ease then with aplomb even just a few years ago.

In the 10 innings he has played since he last scored a century he has arrived at the crease with Australia, on average, having 119 runs on the board.  It is not a matter of him being left to clean up a mess left by the top order.

"Statistically it shows that I have performed a lot better at No.5 than No 4," he said, a nod to averaging 61.83 in the former and 30.89 in the latter. "But it's not like I have walked in at 2-10 throughout this series. I think out whole top order has done a really good job."

The combination with Chris Rogers, David Warner and Steve Smith have provided Clarke with a more-than-acceptable platform to begin the contributions of the middle order, which he leads. He has not been able to fulfil that because he is so out of form, not because of batsmen's vertigo.

I do not subscribe to the detractors who argued Clarke, as Australia's best batsman for most of the past five years, had to therefore promote himself to the most difficult batting position: No.3. His proficiency versus spin, which typically is used more against batsmen outside the top three simply because of when spinners generally get the chance to bowl in an innings, means a middle-order position is best for him. But that has to be balanced with smoothing the transition into the Test team of batsmen who, while they may be of similar age, have only a skerrick of his Test experience.

If Australia cede two wickets in the opening half-hour in Nottingham it would be a terrible look for the captain to remain in the pavilion while either Adam Voges, a highly regarded veteran who is quite obviously rattled on his first Ashes tour, or Shaun Marsh, a highly talented but enigmatic batsman who has never played more than five consecutive Tests, to be made to face up next while the captain waits behind them.

Yes, Steve Waugh stayed at No.5 or No.6 for much of his career, but the calibre and experience of the batsmen on either side of him are incomparable to what faces Clarke at the moment. 'Tugga' and his mighty team could afford for him to be at No.5; Australia under Clarke cannot.

Batting at No.5 could be a security blanket for Clarke. But if it fails, what then? His last card would have been played, and to boot he would have left a tougher job to a teammate.

Such a move might be better for him but it would not be better for the team, which he insists is his unwavering mantra. It would also provide an unflattering comparison to captain-in-waiting Smith, who in moving from No.5 to No.3 is relishing more responsibility at a time Clarke, eight years his senior, would be abdicating some of his.

Better for captain Clarke to show he is selfless by remaining at No.4 and electing to fight his way through his form crisis. If he is able to do that at Trent Bridge – and set a hefty platform for either Voges or Shaun Marsh behind him – the plaudits for him, if Australia can overcome their current Ashes deficit, will be deservedly grand.