A young and upcoming top-order batsman from Worcestershire, Clarke is expected to be the long time solution to England's opening woes - which has resulted in a merry-go-round, as far as finding a stable opening partner to incumbent Alastair Cook is concerned. Born in 1996 in Shropshire, Clarke created a huge impression in his very first season for Worcestershire, scoring as many as five hundreds in 2016.
His batting so impressed the England team management that he was selected to the Lions squad after just one full season of county cricket. Having made the Lions squad at 20, he was seen next in line as England desperately searched for Cook's ideal batting partner.
When Clarke featured for the Lions during their tour of United Arab Emirates (UAE), he had become only the second youngest player to make the Lions trip, after Joe Root. Having made the move from Shropshire to Worcestershire, he had a successful stint with the second eleven before making the progression to the main squad. Clarke was also a part of England's Under-19 team which featured in the 2014 World Cup.