Michael Clarke says he never talked of Australian cricket team comeback

Michael Clarke, former Australian cricket team captain, has done a volte face! After social media went abuzz with reports of him showing interest in making a comeback to Australian Test team, Clarke has made a statement rubbishing these claims.

Clarke, who is currently in India for Indian Premier League coverage, wrote on his Twitter timeline that the story of his comeback has gone out of control. Adding that he did contact Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland, Clarke said that his gesture was aimed at helping Australian team recover from ball-tampering scandal by other means like mentoring under-14 players but by not returning to international cricket.

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“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),” Clarke wrote in a tweet.

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

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

Pup, as he is fondly called, also raised eyebrows over how his offer of help was received. “To be honest I’m so nervous about the headline and how it’s perceived,” he was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

READ | David Warner follows Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, won’t challenge ban

Earlier, Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph had quoted the 37-year-old as saying that he would do anything to help the Australian team. The newspaper reported that Clarke was ready to return to the national Test team and help it recover from the trauma of ball-tampering scandal.

The ball-tampering scandal that came to the fore during Australia’s recently concluded tour to South Africa resulted in a 12-month ban to former skipper Steve Smith and David Warner besides a nine-month ban to young opener Cameron Bancroft.