Michael Clarke to play for Western Suburbs, New South Wales

Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke has announced that he will be making a comeback to the gentleman’s game. Clarke had recently retired from all forms of cricket. Clarke will represent Western Suburbs, New South Wales (NSW) grade cricket club. His first match will be against Randwick-Petersham scheduled for February 20. On the same day, Australia and New Zealand will square-off in the second Test match. Clarke is regarded one of the finest batters Australia has produced in the last decade. He led Australia to its fifth World Cup title in 2015. Clarke, besides being a great batsman was also one of the most successful captains of all time. FULL SCORECARD: India vs Australia, 3rd T20I at Sydney 

Clarke was quoted by Cricket Australia’s official website speaking to News Limited, “To step away from cricket for four months has been great, I have found my body has enjoyed it and my mind has really enjoyed it too. At the same time I’ve ­realised the game of cricket is in my blood. I’ve been looking for an outlet to replace what I’ve chosen to walk away from. So I’ll start with playing this grade game for Western Suburbs and see if I miss it as much as I feel like I’m going to. If I do, the option is there to train the entire winter and then we’ll see what happens.” Michael Clarke: MS Dhoni has a lot to offer to Indian cricket

"Unfortunately I haven't played as well as I would have liked and I think it's the right thing and the right time to give the Australian team and the next captain that chance to prepare for the next Ashes series. When David Thompson, one of the Western Suburbs board members, phoned me and asked if I’d like to be part of the Pratten Park match, it got me thinking. It doesn’t matter what level you’re playing or who you’re playing for, I recognised that I missed the game. All I know is, I’ll never say never to anything. I’ll start with Western Suburbs and we will see where it takes me. For now, my focus is definitely the shorter format of the game.”