Australia’s retiring captain Michael Clarke has implored his men to fight out his final Test match as deep as possible, at the end of an Ashes series in which the fifth day has been entirely redundant

Daniel Brettig19-Aug-20153:54

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Australia’s retiring captain Michael Clarke has implored his men to fight out his final Test match as deep as possible, at the end of an Ashes series in which the fifth day has been entirely redundant.It was hard to ignore the note of fatigue, even resignation, in Clarke’s voice as he spoke ahead of the last match of his international career. He has spent the past week in London with his family, and when asked how he would fare in life without the motivation provided by the game, he offered the words: “I can’t wait.”Even so, Clarke will not want to leave the arena with a whimper. He has trained as assiduously as ever leading into this match, and hopes that a team set back enormously by the past two Test defeats in Brimingham and Nottingham will take something more from the series at the Oval. No less a Cricket Australia authority than Pat Howard has declared a “big difference” between 3-2 and 4-1. Clarke wants his men to scrap this one to the finish.”We can’t win this series but a lot of the guys are going to come back here in four years so it’s important for them to try and get another win under our belt,” Clarke said after looking at an Oval pitch exhibiting far more moisture than the 2009 or 2013 versions. “It’s going to be a result wicket. Someone is going to win, someone is going to lose.””I think this Test is as much about our character as anything else. We need to play with that resilience and grit and determination and really fight as hard as we possibly can. The past couple of Tests in particular have only gone two and a half days so we need to try and take this as deep as we possibly can. That’s going to come down to fight – and that’s a big part of why you play, why you look forward to playing cricket for Australia.”I can think of so many occasions where you watch someone get through a tough period and have success, and that’s what inspires you as a young player, to play at the highest level. I think part of our responsibility is to try and fight our backsides off and grind our way to a victory in this Test match.”Clarke was reticent to offer any “advice” on where Australian cricket should go from here, whether it be to the selectors or to the new leadership duo of Steven Smith and David Warner. But he acknowledged that the end of this series will herald the biggest turnover of talent since the conclusion of the 2006-07 summer, when Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn and Justin Langer all bid farewell.”It is going to be a big change,” he said. “But I think that’s exciting for Australian cricket. I think, I’ve always said, there’s a lot of talent whether it be in this group or back playing first-class cricket and now we’ve just got to turn that talent into consistent performance. So, you know, guys have been waiting for their opportunity and now they are going to get it.Although Michael Clarke didn’t spell out his team, Mitchell Marsh is expected to return to the XI•Getty Images”It is going to take a lot of hard work to transfer that talent into performance and consistent performance and a lot of guys have been making runs and taking wickets in Australia in domestic cricket and now they’re just going to have to learn to perform in different conditions all around the world. I think that’s probably the toughest challenge as a player at the highest level of international cricket, actually having success all around the world. So, I think it is exciting.”Clarke ruled out taking on any role with CA in the immediate future, saying that the team needed fresh ideas as distinct from his own. “For now I won’t be involved with Australian cricket,” he said. “I think it is best that I have some time, it is best for the team as well. When you retire you retire for a reason, and I think it is now time for, like I say, there are some fresh ideas and some fresh energy from a lot of the young players.”However Clarke did say he would make a point of regular visits to Melbourne to see his longtime team physio Alex Kountouris, who also happens to be finishing life as a constant tourist with this tour. Kountouris is being promoted to head of sports science for CA, though he will still make the occasional overseas trip. Despite a litany of physical issues over the past decade, Clarke said he expected to be able to move with relative freedom in retirement.”I’ll stay in contact with Alex. I’ll fly to Melbourne once a week just to see him,” Clarke said. “That’s one thing I know about life: your friends are your friends. It will give me more free time to spend with my friends.”With my body I think I’ll need to maintain some form of training regime to keep it healthy, which I will do. I’ll be disciplined with that. Obviously it will be a lot different to preparing for a Test match or a one-dayer . . . but there’ll still be plenty of things I can do to stay fit and healthy and not carry too much weight.””What you put your body through playing sport at the highest level, take that off it and my back and hammies will be a lot more comfortable.”While Clarke was unable to offer a team for the his final match, it is expected that Mitchell Marsh will return to the XI. Josh Hazlewood is a likely omission, leaving the selectors to ponder the inclusion of either Pat Cummins or Peter Siddle.