SPORTS

Australia will be without captain for 15 years if it is looking for perfect skipper: Clarke

The Australian Test team will be without a captain for the next 15 years if the country’s cricket administrators are looking for someone with a “prefect” and unblemished record, feels former skipper Michael Clarke.

Cricket Australia (CA) is set to appoint a new captain after Tim Paine stepped down from the post in the wake of a ‘sexting’ scandal. Fast bowling spearhead Pat Cummins has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed Paine and former skipper Steve Smith is also in the reckoning.

Clarke pointed out how Ricky Ponting became one of Australia’s greatest captains after overcoming an erratic start to his international career.

“Go back in my time even to Ricky Ponting. If that’s the case, he never would have captained Australia,” Clarke told ‘Big Sports Breakfast’.

“He had a punch up in the middle of a Bourbon & Beefsteak. Are you not going to give him the job because of that?

“He’s a great example. He’s shown you how time, experience, maturity, playing at the highest level and even the captaincy turned him around.”

Paine is the only specialist wicketkeeper in Australia’s 15-man squad to face England in the upcoming Ashes but chairman of selectors George Bailey said he is not final for the first Test starting in Brisbane on December 8.

Clarke admitted that the Australian Test captain needed to be held to a high standard, but he said the team would end up with few options if it has unrealistic expectations.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
Close