Clarke set to make comeback to competitive cricket

Incidentally, the second Test between New Zealand and Australia will be starting on the same day. When asked about a potential comeback to international cricket, Clarke said he would ‘never say never to anything’.

He also revealed that he intends to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Big Bash League (BBL) and the Sheffield Shield.

“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,” Clarke told News Limited.

“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. So I’ll start with playing this grade game for Western Suburbs and see if I miss it as much as I feel like I’m going to. If I do, the option is there to train the entire winter and then we’ll see what happens. There’s BBL next summer, I’d love to be a part of that, IPL, county cricket. There’s possibly even Sheffield Shield cricket for NSW,” he added.

Clarke, who will turn 35 this year, retired from One-Day International cricket last year after the World Cup which Australia won and then retired from Test Cricket after the Ashes loss in the same year.He has played in the IPL once in 2012 and was supposed to turn out for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash this season but later opted out.

Even though he is targeting only the shorter formats for his comeback, he hasn’t ruled out anything for the future. “It doesn’t matter what level you’re playing or who you’re playing for, I recognised that I missed the game. All I know is, I’ll never say never to anything. I’ll start with Western Suburbs and we will see where it takes me. For now, my focus is definitely the shorter format of the game,” he said.