Middlesex confirm interest in Oz’s Clarke

Cricket365
February 23, 2016

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke could be making a first class comeback, if reports out of England are to be believed, with Middlesex admitting they'd contacted him about coming to Lord's.

Clarke retired after the Ashes in England last year, from all forms of the game, but recently said he felt the desire to make a domestic comeback.

If he goes to Middlesex for part of the 2016 season, he'd join fellow Aussie Adam Voges, as well as New Zealand internationals Brendon McCullum and Mitchell McClenaghan.

Middlesex director Angus Fraser told the UK Telegraph: "We are in discussions with a number of players and I would be lying if I said his name had not been mentioned.

"There is a long way to go before a serious conversation takes place. It will come down to him at the end of the day. He has to decide if he is fit and wants to do it.

"Then we have to see what we want and if he fits the bill."

Meanwhile, Clarke will return to the middle with his club, Western Suburbs, in Sydney Grade cricket this month. He said on Thursday that he'd see how that went for before deciding on anything else.

Clarke said, as quoted by the CA website: "I'm really focused on playing this game for Wests and then I've got all of winter to think about things.

"A lot of things have been written and said and I take that as a compliment that people still think I can play – BBL, county cricket, for NSW or whatever.

"I'll have plenty of time to think about that but, right now, it's really just an invitation from my club to come back and play for them."