SYDNEY: Michael Clarke had announced his retirement from ODI cricket after leading Australia to the fifth World Cup title earlier this year. Now he has announced his retirement from Tests as well after the recently concluded Ashes which his team lost 2-3.

Clarke is yet to decide on what he is going to do after this, but he has not ruled out another stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the upcoming season.

Clarke will be featuring in Australia’s T20 tournament, Big Bash League, for the Melbourne Stars in the Australian summer. He is contracted with the Stars for two years.

The former Aussie skipper will embark on a holiday before he decides what to do next after his retirement from international cricket.

“That’s probably one of the things [an IPL stint] I’ve got to think about over the next week or so. What I’m going to do there, am I going to look at that as an option? I’ll spend the next few days trying to sum that up. See where my mind is at, see where my body is at and have a good think about it,” Clarke said in an interview to Cricket Australia’s official website.

“Kyly and I are going to go away for a week or so before I fly back home. And that’s just going to give me some time to have a think about what I’m going to do when I get home. I haven’t had a chance to press stop and have a think about things. Now I’ve finally got that opportunity I just want to make the most of that and spend some time with her and have a really good think,” he added.

Before this, Clarke has repeatedly turned down lucrative offers from the IPL franchises to maintain his focus on international cricket. Clarke last played for the now-defunct Pune Warriors India in 2012. He played six matches in that season for the Pune based franchise and scored 98 runs at a strike rate of 104.25.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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