Date:30/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/30/stories/2007103060732100.htm

Sport - Cricket

Ponting favours Clarke as his successor

— FILE PHOTO

Michael Clarke.

Melbourne: Australian captain Ricky Ponting has backed middle-order batsman Michael Clarke as his “obvious” successor to lead the World champion side.

Ponting, who will become 33 next month, wants to continue playing at least till the next World Cup and he is aware of the fact that many senior members of the side — Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey — may retire in the near future.

“I am not going to be around forever,” Ponting was quoted as saying by Herald Sun.

“Gilly is not going to be around forever. We have to start building the next generation of leaders around the team and (Clarke) is the obvious choice. People have been talking about him as the next skipper and all that sort of stuff.

“We all hope that is the case and he keeps improving his game. If he does he will be one of the leading players in the world,” Ponting said. — PTI