“Retiring from one-day games will also allow Michael’s body regular rest and recovery periods”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has announced that Michael Clarke should retire from ODIs following the conclusion of the 2015 World Cup.

Ponting noted that Clarke should solely focus on his Test career since “he may only have another two or three years left at Test level”.

“I believe that the right time for Michael to hand over the one-day captaincy to Steven will be after the conclusion of this World Cup,” Ponting wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo. “Retiring from one-day games will also allow Michael’s body regular rest and recovery periods, something that has effectively taken place numerous times already as he has sat out a lot of ODI series.

“In Michael’s body and mind he may only have another two or three years left at Test level, and I think it would be a good time for Steven to take over the one-day job and Michael to remain as Test captain.

“This would give Smithy a bit more of a chance to get used to the idea of captaining his country long-term. At the same time, I am firm in believing that Michael is the right man to lead the team through this World Cup campaign.

“Smithy will be a fine ODI captain in time, but the next six weeks should be Michael’s moment to chart the team to his own cup success.”

Ponting also recalled how former chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns appointed him as captain in 2002 and left Steve Waugh out of the national team.

“It allowed me to get my head around the job before Tugga (Waugh) retired two years later and I became captain across both formats before we travelled to Sri Lanka in 2004,” Ponting wrote.