Australia cricket captain and in form player Michael Clarke has decided not forward his name for the Indian Premier League auction to be held on Feb 12 and 13 and has instead decided to take a four-month break from cricket following his team’s tour of South Africa next month.
Clark who leaves for South Africa with the Test squad on Wednesday after a busy summer at home where they regained the Ashes by whitewshing the old enemy 5-0 and then piled up misery on England by winning the one-day series 4-1.
According to Sydney Morning Herald Clarke has followed his fellow countrymen Ryan Harris and Mitchell Marsh in giving a miss to the potentially money-spinning IPL-7 contract. The main reason for his snub is that he wants to lighten his workload ahead of the crucial 2015 World Cup and Ashes in England which follows World Cup next year.
Even though Clarke does not play T20 Internationals any more, he was likely to create interest amongst the franchises at the auction.
He did play in the 2012 IPL for the now disbanded Pune Warriors and was set to stay there for the following season until a flared up back injury pushed him out of the reckoning last year.
The Australian cricketers, however, will be toast of auction with tearaway Mitchell Johnson, who is expected to be the most sought after player, leading the group.
The in-form Johnson was surprisingly not retained by the Mumbai Indians.
