Cricket: Michael Clarke to make comeback

Michael Clarke. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

Australian great Michael Clarke's cricket retirement has been shortlived.

The former Aussie captain is making a comeback in Sydney club cricket just four months after stepping away from the game, when a back injury hastened his departure.

Clarke, aged 34, is aiming to play in the T20 Big Bash, and has not ruled out trying to break back into the Australian side, according to the Daily Telegraph.

"Never say never to anything," was his replay, when asked about an international return.

Clarke's brilliant test career faded and he quit a year earlier than intended in August, but he's is on the comeback trail already. He sees English country cricket, the Indian Premier League, and Australia's domestic Sheffield Shield as the initial possibilities.

Clarke said: I've still been training all the time. Training has always been such a big part of my life and I enjoy it, so my body is feeling amazing and my back feels outstanding."

"To step away from cricket for four months has been great, I have found my body has enjoyed it and my mind has really enjoyed it too.

"At the same time I've realised the game of cricket is in my blood. I've been looking for an outlet to replace what I've chosen to walk away from."

"It's about the enjoyment, the feeling you used to get when you were a little kid...I always knew I would miss being around my teammates and the teams I had played in."

An apparently divisive personality contributed to a muddled view of his career. Clarke said the birth of his daughter and the break had given him a new and less intense perspective on life.

The Telegraph said Clarke was unlikely to make the Australian team for next summer's South Africa and Pakistan tour but a pile of runs could change the picture. Clarke's predecessor Ricky Ponting played test cricket until he was 37.