Clarke dreams to captain Aus in all formats

Melbourne: Michael Clarke, who has recently returned to the Australian team after nursing a back injury, has expressed his immense desire to lead the national team in all three formats of the game.

Clarke, who has already been given the charge of the team for the Twenty20 format said though he passionately harbours the dream of captaining Australia in ODIs and Tests, he would want to get at the helm only when the incumbent skipper Ricky Ponting decides to call it a day.

“I could sit here and lie and say I don’t think about it. The truth is I hope I continue to get opportunities, whether it be One-day cricket, now with Twenty20 cricket or hopefully one day I get the chance to captain in Test cricket,” Clarke was quoted as saying by ‘Daily Telegraph’.

“But it is all so far away. Right now, I am over the moon and stoked I have been given the chance to captain the Twenty20. My leader, still, is Ricky Ponting.

“He is a fantastic captain, a good friend and is someone I have always looked up to. I would love for him to continue to play as long as he wants. If there’s an opportunity after Ricky, I would love that – no doubt.

“But it is important the public and the media understand, I have absolutely no intention or desire to take over any captaincy without Punter walking away.”

Clarke, who missed the Champions Trophy earlier this year and Australia’s seven-match ODI tour to India due to a back injury, returned to the 12 member Aussie squad for the first Test against West Indies in Brisbane starting from November 26.

The 28-year old right handed batsman, who has been groomed for captaincy for nearly two years as a deputy to Ponting, said his present skipper has set very high standards and it would be difficult for him to match Ponting’s exploits.

“I have said to him for years I hope he retires the same day as me. If anything, this allows me to get even closer to Punter now that I have been given these leadership roles. That’s exciting for me.

“I only wish I can be half as good as Punter. You have to perform on the field above all else, and his stats in all forms of the game are amazing. In our sport that’s a huge part of leadership and respect,” he said.