Clarke to retire from ODIs after World Cup final
Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke yesterday announced that he would retire from the ODI version of cricket after today’s game. The thirty three year-old Australian cricket captain made his decision public at the pre-match press conference on the eve of the final in Melbourne.
The Australian legend who won a Test match for the country against India with his left arm part time spin bowling, is now bugged with a recurring back injury started his career way back in 2003.
Clarke explaining his decision said ‘’ Just so everyone is aware, I just want everyone to know that tomorrow will be my last ODI game for Australia. I’ve just spoken to my teammates and spoke to James Sutherland and Rod Marsh and Darren Lehmann and informed them that tomorrow will be my last ODI for Australia. I’m extremely grateful and thankful.
“I just found out that tomorrow will be my 245th One Day game for Australia. It’s certainly been an honour and a privilege to represent my country in One Day cricket for that amount of games, and I’m grateful to every single player I’ve been lucky enough to play with, and this team is certainly no exception to that. I think it’s the right time for me and the Australian cricket team.
“Like I said, I was very fortunate four years ago to get the opportunity to captain this One Day team, and I think that was really good preparation for me leading up to this World Cup, and I think the next Australian captain deserves the same opportunity. I don’t think it’s realistic that I’ll be here, I’ll be fit and healthy for the next — and available to play the next World Cup, so I believe it’s the right time.
“I think I leave the game, the One Day game for the Australian team in a better place than when I took over the captaincy, and I think the last World Cup we were knocked out in the quarter-final, and this World Cup we’ve been able to make it to the final, and hopefully we can go on and have success in that final. So two finals and one quarter-final for my time in World Cups, and I’m hopeful that it’ll prolong my Test career, as well, and that’s obviously a priority for me, to continue to be successful in the Test format, and I think by walking away from One Day cricket it probably gives me my best opportunity.”