Aussie captain Clarke set for final bow
AUSTRALIA captain Michael Clarke bids farewell to one-day international cricket this morning — to save himself for one more shot at humiliating England.
The 33-year-old has decided to retire from the 50-over game after steering his country to the World Cup final, with the sole intention of leading the Aussies into this summer’s Ashes showdown in England.
‘A priority for me is to continue to be successful in the Test format,’ said Clarke. ‘I think by walking away from one-day cricket it probably gives me my best opportunity.’
And that spells danger for England with Clarke hungrier than ever to finally win an away Ashes series, having lost on all three of his previous trips.
Clarke scored two centuries guiding Australia to their 5-0 whitewash of Alastair Cook’s dismal team last winter, but he’s desperate to break his duck in England in what will almost certainly be his last Ashes away tour.
‘I’ve never hid behind the fact that I find Test cricket to be the pinnacle of our sport,’ said Clarke, who has won 108 Test caps including 30 against England.
‘I still think I’ve got a lot to offer the team as captain of the Australian Test team and I want to make sure I continue to have success in that format.’
Clarke was made captain in all formats when Ricky Ponting stood down following the 2011 World Cup. He will be making his 245th one-day appearance for Australia and his 75th as skipper today as Australia take on New Zealand, led by Brendon McCullum (inset).
George Bailey and Steve Smith are thought to be the two men most likely to succeed Clarke in captaining the Aussies.