- Enjoyed a stellar career playing for Australia
- Has been inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame
- Has made heartbreaking family revelation
Former Australian Test captain Michael Clarke has made a stunning family revelation that explains why he has quit his breakfast radio gig.
Clarke, 43, has dedicated most of his life to cricket, as a player then commentator, but says it has come at the cost of his personal and family life, and he now wants to alter that balance.
He took a major step toward that when he quit his role on Sky Racing’s Big Sports Breakfast.
‘It will always be a part of my life, but I never saw cricket as my life completely,’ he said on the program.
‘The podcast allows me to stay involved with the game, a little bit of commentary, I am going over to India again this year, but there’s other things.’
Clarke then made the startling revelation about his daughter Kelsey Lee and how working in cricket had robbed them of precious moments together.
‘I drove my daughter to school for the first time – and she’s nine,’ he said.
‘I know it sounds so simple, but when you’ve never done it, they’re the things I love. I think I’ve got the balance right.’
Clarke made his first-class debut for New South Wales at just 17, and his Test debut in 2004, scoring a century against India, before captaining Australia from 2011 to 2015.
Under his leadership, Australia won the 2015 Cricket World Cup and regained the Ashes in 2013–14 with a 5-0 whitewash.
Clarke was celebrated for his ability to perform under pressure, amassing over 8000 Test runs, including a remarkable year in 2012 with four double centuries.
He retired from international cricket in 2015, leaving a legacy as one of Australia’s finest modern-era captains.
Clarke, Michael Bevan and Christine Matthews were officially inducted into the Cricket Australia Hall of Fame at the Australian Cricket Awards on Monday.
And Clarke said there were a couple of poignant coincidences that came with his induction, including a link to his late teammate Phil Hughes who was killed when struck by a delivery in 2014.
‘To be the 64th inductee, I don’t know if it was a coincidence – and I spoke to the guys that did induct me and asked if it was a set up, but they said no – but Phillip Hughes’ number was 64.
‘So that made it even more special.
‘And I got inducted on January 23, which was my playing number that Warnie handed down to me.
‘Talk about icing on the cake. Very special, and I feel very privileged to be a part of such an amazing group of players.’
