Melbourne, March 28 (IANS) Australia skipper Michael Clarke on Saturday announced that he will quit One-Day Internationals (ODI) after the cricket World Cup final against New Zealand here on Sunday.
"It's the right time for me and the Australian cricket team. I was very fortunate four years ago to get the opportunity to captain this great team and that was really good preparation for me leading up to this World Cup,” Clarke said at the pre-match press conference.
The final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) would be Clarke's 245th and final ODI. The 33-year-old said he is not confident his body will allow him to be in peak condition for the 2019 edition.
The right-hand batsman wants his successor to have a full four-year period to mould the team ahead of the next mega event, just as he has had following Ricky Ponting's resignation four years ago after the team's quarterfinal elimination in India.
“The next Australian captain deserves this opportunity. I don't think it's realistic that I'll be fit and healthy and available to play the next World Cup. I believe it's the right time," Clarke said.
Clarke made his ODI debut against England at Adelaide on January 19, 2003. Thereon he played 244 ODIs, scoring 7,907 runs at an average of 44.42. The New South Wales player did not consider Sunday's match to be any more significant because of his decision.
"It's a special game, there's no doubt about it, but it needs to be about the team and I want it to be about the team. It's not emotion, it's skill that helps you win major games and tournaments and Sunday will be no different. It's no more special because it's my last game," he said.
The captain, who has struggled for continuity in ODIs due to injury, reiterated his priority was to remain a key player for Australia in Test cricket for as long as possible.
"I'm hopeful that it will prolong my Test career as well. That's obviously a priority for me, to be successful in Tests and by walking away from ODIs, it probably gives me my best opportunity," he said.
The departing captain had only disclosed his intentions to his family earlier. He informed Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland, chief selector Rod Marsh, coach Darren Lehmann and his teammates minutes before making the announcement public on Saturday.
Clarke said it had been 'an honour and a privilege' to lead Australia in one-day cricket. He declined to suggest a successor but acknowledged that Steve Smith, who stood in for Clarke as Test captain this summer and for one ODI, had produced some key performances batting at No.3.
Besides Smith, the other candidate for captaincy is likely to be George Bailey, Clarke's vice-captain for this World Cup. Bailey led Australia in the opening match of the tournament but was squeezed out after Clarke's return from his hamstring injury for the pool match against New Zealand.
Cemeteries submerged in Pakistan due to floods: Difficult to find burial place, people performing last rites in hills
This year floods and landslides have caused great destruction in Pakistan. In the remaining graveyard of the village, Ali Akbar is searching for solid ground between the marshy land and the green
Modi said- 3 crore people start world's largest vaccination program, don't forget to get the second dose
Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced Corona vaccination through video conferencing at 11.05 am on Saturday. Earlier in the 35-minute speech, he said that the vaccine has come in a very short time.
Happy Valentine Day 2022: Celebrate Valentine's Day in these four ways if you are single, you will not feel lonely
February is the month of love. The days of love begin from the first week of the month. Every day of Valentine's Week, couples express their love for each other by doing something special. Couples
National Herald Case: Congress's 'Congress Satya BJP Jhoot' campaign starts today, 57 leaders will visit 57 cities
The Congress party will hold press conferences in 57 cities across the country between April 21 and 24. Congress media and publicity department chief Pawan Khera said on Sunday that the purpose behind
EC hits back at Rahul Gandhi's fresh allegations that 'votes cannot be deleted online'
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has once again raised the issue of alleged vote theft. He stated that Aland, a constituency in Karnataka, attempted to
Who will be the captain: Rohit-Dhoni may get a challenge from Pant-Iyer; 3 teams got new captains
After the conclusion of the mega auction of IPL 2022, 10 teams have completed their squads. At the same time, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders have also completed
MP Corona Update: 1760 new patients were found on Sunday, 4 died, positivity rate reduced to 2.50 percent
The number of corona infections is decreasing rapidly in Madhya Pradesh. On Sunday, in 70 thousand 409 investigations in the state, 1760 new infected were found and 4555 patients were cured. At the
Is the government so helpless in front of TV news channels?
India's Attorney General KK Venugopal has expressed concern about the 'media trial'. In the Supreme Court on Tuesday, he said that the media's comments on many pending cases are like contempt of
Amitabh Bachchan Birthday: Even God knows the importance of Amitabh, the megastar, played so many roles in 83 years.
In India, people typically retire from work at 60, but by 83, talk of retiring from life begins. "What should we do now? We've done what we had to do, you guys take care of things..." These are the
Rahul Gandhi spoke for the first time on marriage: Told what kind of girl is needed, what qualities should she have
The question of marriage came up during Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra. The answer was very interesting. Rahul was talking about his grandmother Indira Gandhi during the visit. He said- Indira
