Sacking Ponting was tough: Clarke

Australian captain Michael Clarke has said he was partly responsible for the sacking of former skipper Ricky Ponting from the one-day squad.

Australian captain Michael Clarke has said he was partly responsible for the sacking of former skipper Ricky Ponting from the one-day squad.

Australian-batsman-Rickey-Ponting-leaves-the-field-after-being-dismissed-during-the-one-day-international-cricket-match-against-India-in-Brisbane-AFP-Photo-Greg-Wood

Clarke wrote about how difficult the decision had been in a newspaper column on Thursday, while adding that the 37-year-old Ponting remained a “huge part of our test team.”

“I'm 100% part of the selection panel — that's part now of the captain's job,” he wrote in a News Ltd column. “We've made this decision as a panel.
“It is tough not having the great Ricky Ponting out there... playing one-day cricket for us but that's the decision we've made.”

Clarke replaced Ponting as captain after England completed a 3-1 Ashes series win on Australian soil in January last year, becoming part of the national side’s selection panel.

Ponting’s axing from the one-day side earlier this week as Australia build for the 2015 World Cup triggered fierce debate in the country.