‘I don't think Ricky is an elephant in any room,’ says Australian new captain Michael Clarke
Newly appointed Australian captain Michael Clarke has said that he is not concerned by Ricky Ponting’s presence in the team.
“I don't think Ricky is an elephant in any room. I know he'll let me do my job to the best of my ability,” he said.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in the quarter-final of the ICC World Cup, 2011.
Shane http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326 has been appointed as Clarke’s deputy and Cameron White will carry on with the Twenty-20 captaincy.
Ponting though, has stepped down from the captaincy but will continue as a Test and one-day batsmen. The 36 year-old gave a remarkable batting performance in the quarter-final by scoring 104 runs but it was not enough to ensure victory for his team.
Clarke who will lead http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 in April, says he is determined to do things his own way. He added that he had a very good working relationship with Ponting.
“I'm confident that if he (Ponting) can continue to play as well as he has done for such a long time I'm certain it can work,” he added.
The newly appointed captain has earlier led the side as a stand-in captain in the absence of Ponting in the fifth Ashes test match, and the seven-match ODI series against England, which they clinched 6-1.
Clarke stepped into limelight after scoring151 on his Test debut against England at the age of 23. He scored first century in his first Test in his own country with 141 runs against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 at Brisbane. He became the youngest player to win the ‘Australian Player of the Year’ award in the same year. In 178 ODI innings, he has scored 6161 at an average of 46.49 including five centuries and 47 fifties.
Ponting, has expressed his all-out support for Clarke as a captain saying that he is a right choice.
“I will be there in the background for him if he needs me, but from today the Test and one-day teams will be his and I will be one of many players who follow him onto cricket grounds all over the world,” he said.
Ponting has captained Australia for nine years and during this period he earned the World Cup title twice, in 2003 and 2007. His captaincy came under immense pressure after the Ashes loss to England in 2010.
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