How does this sound? Marcus North: Australia Test captain. Or how about Cameron White: Australia Test captain? Wait, it gets even better. Callum Ferguson: Australia Test captain. Seriously, you at the back can stop sniggering now.

With Michael Clarke's stock falling faster than an engine cover off an airborne Qantas Airbus, the Australians are starting to worry about who will be the man to replace Ricky Ponting when he hands over the reins. Mind you, that could be any day now if you believe Michael Vaughan. The former England captain is convinced Ponting won't survive an Ashes defeat at home.

The Australian powers-that-be have put a lot of effort into grooming Clarke as future skipper. From the moment the New South Welshman entered the international fray it was made quite clear that he was destined for the position of Test skipper.

While Ponting thrived there seemed no need to alter from the planned course; when Adam Gilchrist retired Clarke became ODI vice-captain and deputised for Ponting when the Tasmanian was unavailable. With Ponting's decision to retire from Twenty20 Internationals, Clarke has at last got his chance to lead Australia in earnest - and it's here that the problem has arisen. If he's not up to it, then who in the Australian set-up is?

Remember when the Aussies were quietly laughing in the corner when the South Africans and English had their captaincy problems? South Africa had no-one to turn to after they decided to strip Shaun Pollock of the leadership on the back of another miserable World Cup campaign. They were eventually forced to go to one Graeme (or is that Greg?) Smith. The English too were a pack without a leader after Kevin Pietersen's spell as skipper came crashing to a controversial halt. Like Smith, England's second-choice captain Andrew Strauss has led his team well.

But the problem for Australia is that they don't have a second option. Or do they? A poll recently run by the respected The Age newspaper provided a few 'quality' alternatives: Marcus North, Callum Ferguson and Cameron White. Interesting. Let's take a moment to consider the pros and cons of the candidates:

Marcus North - Pros: captains his state team, apparently he's a likeable bloke. Cons: he's one failure with the bat away from being dropped; it may be hard leading the side from his living room.

Callum Ferguson - Pros: Hmmm, he may play for the Test team in the future? He's warmed the hearts of many in coming back from a terrible knee injury. Cons: He hasn't played Test cricket and is, in fact, just focusing on making big scores domestically. Generally one's international captain has some experience performing the role at some level.

Cameron White - Pros: He has played Test cricket (although he probably prefers to forget it). Has a lot of leadership experience, having become Victoria's youngest captain at the age of just 20 and is vice-captain of the Twenty20 team. Cons: Is he really a Test player? The current batch of selectors don't seem to think so.

Well, 20,221 all-knowing Australians have anointed White as the man to lead their team into the future. The Victorian claimed 37 percent of the votes, with North coming in second with 26 percent of the vote. Nipping on his heels is Clarke, with the public showing their huge support by handing him 23 percent of the vote. Clarke shouldn't be disheartened though, with 2,831 people putting their hopes behind Ferguson, one has to wonder about the general intellect of the electorate.

The reality is that they have no realistic alternative to Clarke. With this in mind and given the time that has been spent preparing Clarke for the position, the 29-year-old might as well be given a run. After all, if he takes up the role on the back of an Ashes defeat, which follows hot on the heels of a series defeat to India, and a failure in the World Twenty20, things can't really get any worse for the once mighty Aussies. And if all else fails we hear Shane Warne is looking for a new team to skipper after the demise of the Rajasthan Royals. Now there's a man that always looked destined to lead Australia...

Shahida Jacobs and Julia Harris