Clarke: We must perform on all decks

Top-order trouble ... Clarke's batsmen must learn to play on difficult decks. Source:AAP

Australia's top order capitulations on seaming decks have forced captain Michael Clarke to concede his men need to start performing on all wickets - not just flat decks that favour batsmen.

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With an Ashes tour on seam-friendly England wickets headlining a monster 18 months of cricket for Australia, the ability to play the moving ball has become a major headache.

Gentle Sri Lankan medium pacer Nuwan Kulasekara, who ripped Australia apart with five wickets in Friday night's humiliating total of 74 at the Gabba, again was on song in Sunday's SCG washout.

The 30-year-old finished with 3-30, including the prized scalp of Clarke (20) and opener Phil Hughes (1), again getting the ball to hoop into right-handers with great success.

The triple disappointments of the top order in Adelaide, where the hosts slumped to 6-83, the Gabba, where they were bowled out for their lowest total since 1986, and the SCG, where after 12.1 overs they were again struggling at 3-53, prompted Clarke to tell his teammates to overcome the perception they were simply flat track bullies.

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"You need to be able to perform not just on good wickets but on tough wickets as well," he said.

"I think there's areas of our game that all of us need to improve especially when there's a bit of movement.

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Clarke: We must perform on all decks