Published: Mar 28, 2015, 08:44 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 28, 2015, 10:05 AM (IST)
Melbourne: Michael Clarke has announced his retirement from One-Day Internationals (ODIs) ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Clarke announced his decision to retire during the pre-mach press conference on the eve of the game and said that Sunday’s final would be his last game in green and hold. However, he maintained that he is determined to continue as Test captain and is confident of what he can offer.
Before the session began, Clarke braced for an announcement. “Tomorrow will be my last ODI for Australia. I think it’s the right time for me and the Australian cricket team” he said. When asked about the team’s preparation, he said, “I couldn’t be happier with the way the guys have prepared for this tournament. The team is ready.”
Clarke informed the Australian selectors an hour before speaking to the media. He then spoke to his teammates a few minutes before he made his way to face questions ahead of the game. “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,” he said. READ: Michael Clarke retires from ODIs: Twitter Reactions
The Australian skipper maintained that Test cricket remains the pinnacle for him and that he hopes this retirement would help him prolong his career in the Baggy Green. “So two finals and one quarterfinal 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,” he concluded his opening statement. Clarke also said that it was a dream to play for his country and captaincy is something he didn’t quite imagine at a young age. He said, “I’ve always dreamt of playing cricket for Australia and for New South Wales. I never dreamt of captaining Australia, and to have this opportunity and privilege has been better than I could have imagined.”
Clarke will thus finish his one-day career with 245 ODIs after the final. He revealed that he does not believe he would be fit enough for the next World Cup and hence made the call after Australia beat India in the semi-final in Sydney. “My legacy is defined by the way my teammates thing of me,” he said, in one of the most telling statements made by him in the press conference.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)
