A horrific Ashes series has prompted Michael Clarke to quit international Twenty20 cricket, giving up his captaincy of the Australian team.
He is the first Australian skipper to give up his post for reasons other than retirement from cricket since Mark Taylor handed over the one-day captaincy to Steve Waugh in 1998.
Clarke led Australia to the world T20 final in the Caribbean last year, but his batting record in the format is dreadful and the lack of poise he has shown at the crease in the format has seeped into his Test performance since being promoted to No.4 in the batting order.
“I’m retiring from international T20 cricket and looking back on this series my Test cricket isn’t where I want it at the moment,” Clarke said on Friday.
“So I guess that gives me the opportunity now to focus wholly and solely on Test and one-day cricket and to use that time to play more domestic and first-class cricket for NSW and become a better Test player.
“I’ve always said Test cricket is the ultimate for me and this gives me that opportunity.”
Though he led Australia in the final Test of the series against England, Clarke’s form has dipped so alarmingly that he could not say for certain that he would be chosen for Australia’s next Test tour to Sri Lanka in August.
“My T20 performances haven’t been that great so it made my decision easier, but my main focus is to firstly become a better Test cricketer and also to help the team as the vice-captain, do whatever I can to help this team turn it around,” said Clarke.
“It’s probably happened because of these five Test matches, probably because of my performances in these five Test matches.”
Despite the batting problems that seem to have stemmed from his T20 leadership, and the popular view that T20 has eroded Australia’s stable of capable Test cricketers, Clarke defended the format.
“T20 cricket now has brought another form of the game to Australian cricket and to world cricket. I think Australian players are looking at T20 cricket as a way of the future even if they don’t want to play Test or one-day cricket,” he said.
“I 100 per cent believe, though, that everyone in the dressing room wants to play Test and one-day cricket for Australia and the guys involved in T20 and one-day cricket are stoked to be playing all three forms but their focus is definitely Test cricket.
“I think the IPL, the Big Bash and T20 cricket in general is great for this game, I really do.
“For me, it’s all about getting as many boys and girls playing cricket as possible.
“And if that means they’re playing T20 cricket, Test cricket or one-day, I don’t really care. I just want them playing this great game rather than another sport.”
Clarke reckoned there were players who could thrive in all three forms of cricket, but admitted he now knew he was not one of them.
“It’s very individual because I’m certain there are players who can play all three forms of the game,” he said.
“I’m probably not one of them, I’ve worked out that for me to be the best Test cricketer I can be, the best one-day cricketer I can be I need to focus on those two forms.”
Australia Twenty20 squad:
Cameron White (capt), Tim Paine (vice-capt), Aaron Finch, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Stephen O’Keefe, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Shaun Tait, David Warner, Shane Watson.
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