Michael Clarke set to hang his boots after Ashes: Reports

Michael Clarke set to hang his boots after Ashes: Reports: In a latest development the news in the air is that Australia’s Test skipper Michael Clarke is contemplating retirement after the ongoing Ashes. The Aussie captain is reportedly set to announce his retirement from Test cricket as Australia is ready to hand over the Ashes Urn. One of Australia’s greatest ever batsmen Clarke looked determined to continue on after the previous defeat. However it appears the disastrous events at Trent Bridge have changed the 34-year-old’s mind that the time is right for him to step aside. Clarke has made 28 Test centuries, and is just one short of the legendary Sir Donald Bradman in his 114 match career.

Clarke is understood to have told his teammates before play began at Trent Bridge this morning that his reign as skipper is over and, following his retirement from one-day cricket after this year’s World Cup win, he is also walking away from the Test match arena. He was seen to be shaking hands with his teammates at a rare team meeting an hour before play was to resume on the third day at Trent Bridge. Cricket Australia is yet to confirm the reports though.

While it remains unclear if Clarke will lead Australia into the final Test of the Ashes series, it seems the transition to a new captain would come sooner rather than later. Clarke himself has been under increasing pressure given his repeated failures with the bat, failing to reach 50 in any of his eight innings in this campaign and averaging less than 20 runs per innings. In the past 12 months he has played nine Tests and made only score in excess of 50, Clarke’s average of 16.71 is the second worst by an Ashes captain after Ricky Ponting who managed just 16.14 in the 2010-11 disaster on home soil.