Michael Clarke rumored to make a comeback with Australian Cricket in crisis

Australian cricket is going through a tough time after the whole ball-tampering scandal in South Africa and the subsequent banning of their captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner. Needless to say, the team had a tough time recovering from the incident and lost the series to the hosts 3-1. The turn of events not only cost Australia the series but also their confidence and reputation. Moreover, they slipped down to the fourth position in the ICC rankings.

In such a situation, former captain Michael Clarke has stepped up and offered his help for the team in any way possible. In an interview with Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph, he mentioned dropping a text message to Cricket Australia‘s Chief Executive James Sutherland, but also said that he has not received a reply yet.

“I would do anything to help the Australian cricket team,” said the former skipper while speaking to the newspaper.

Clarke thinks he has the right amount of experience and expertise that could help the team go through these difficult times and recover from it. He wishes to contribute to the development of the young players, which is something CA should concentrate on at the moment in his opinion.

“I’ve experienced a lot of great things in cricket but some tough times as well. I’ve got the experience to help these young players and that’s where our focus should be right now until the other guys come back.”

Even though he had retired from the game in 2015 after the Ashes, the 37-year-old thinks he is in quite a good shape. He is a strong believer of the much-used statement of age being just a number – cliche, but true.

Age is just a number

“Age is age. Is 17 too young? I’ve never cared about age. Brad Hogg played at 45. I don’t think it’s about a number. I think it’s about commitment and devotion,” he said. “It’s like getting back on a bike. I’m as fit and healthy as I’ve ever been. The time away has been great for my body,” he added.

This set off a buzz in the cricketing world that Michael Clarke might be considering coming back from the retirement and leading the team through this mess. However, with a couple of tweets on Sunday morning, he clarified that his intentions were not exactly this.

His first tweet read: “This article is out of control! Let me make very clear that I have not sent any formal offer to James Sutherland to come back and play cricket. I sent him a message as a friend offering to help Australian cricket in ANY way I could (this could mean mentoring the under 14s)”

This article is out of control! Let me make very clear that I have not sent any formal offer to James Sutherland to come back and play cricket. I sent him a message as a friend offering to help Australian cricket in ANY way I could (this could mean mentoring the under 14s)

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) April 8, 2018

The Aussie, who is in India to cover the IPL, also joked about it in the next tweet.
“I won’t be batting in the nets in India in preparation for a comeback ??? and as I have always said the game owes me nothing, I owe it everything. Have a great Sunday.”

I won’t be batting in the nets in India in preparation for a comeback ??? and as I have always said the game owes me nothing, I owe it everything. Have a great Sunday ??

— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) April 8, 2018

But from the previous interview, he is clearly worried about the setback suffered by the team Australia. He even mentioned West Indies, who recently had to play the qualifiers to be eligible for the World Cup 2019. “I’m worried about it. I don’t want us to be like the West Indies,” Clarke said.

“We’re not talking about the next five years. It’s the next six months and we need to fix it now. If Cricket Australia asks me, I’d drop everything to help out,” he concluded.

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