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Acting Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke warned today his team faced a huge 15-month schedule which will pit them against their major rivals in all forms of the game.
Middle-order batsman Clarke led the World Cup-winning Australian side in the final two matches of the 5-0 one-day whitewash of the West Indies, following an injury to regular skipper Ricky Ponting.
Clarke is looking forward to a six-week lull before some heavy-duty fitness work.
Clarke bristled at the suggestion next month’s three one-day games against Bangladesh in Darwin was meaningless. He said no international match for Australia could be regarded in that fashion.
He pointed to a rash of matches over the following year during which top-ranked Australia will visit No.2-ranked India for four matches in October and November.
The domestic line-up includes three Tests each against seventh-ranked New Zealand and fourth-rated South Africa with a return series away to the latter, early next year, followed by the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June and an Ashes series against world No.3 England.
“It’s going to be a huge 15 months,” Clarke said upon returning at Sydney Airport today.
“We have some really tough cricket in both forms of the game coming up, so we’re going to find out where we sit in both forms.
“But I believe we’re off to a great start in both forms of the game.
“I think it’s what we all play international cricket for, to play against the best.
“South Africa are playing really good cricket at the moment, India in India is always very tough and then obviously the Ashes is going to be great for the game and I know all the boys are looking forward to it.”
Australia faces an equally daunting schedule of limited overs’ assignments over the corresponding period with games against their closest rivals South Africa (second) and New Zealand (third).
Clarke was non-committal about whether he wanted to go to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in September.
He said he would wait to hear what Cricket Australia, the Australian Cricketers’ Association and the International Cricket Council came up with.
Clarke enjoyed the opportunity to lead Australia in Ponting’s absence.
“It’s been a fantastic opportunity for me, but I think the whole of Australia knows who our skipper is and fingers crossed he will be right in a few weeks,” Clarke said.
While Australia has experienced some personnel changes over the past year, Clarke was adamant the new blood had refreshed the established members of the side and kept the team firmly at the top of the game.
“I still see us at No.1 (in Test cricket), I think our form was fantastic,” Clarke said reflecting on the 2-0 Test series victory over the West Indies.
“In my opinion we still are the No.1 one-day team in the world and hopefully will be for a lot longer.
“I think it was great to see (wrist-spinner) Beau Casson to have an opportunity. I thought he did pretty well in tough bowling conditions for spinners.”
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